VADAGAM – MILD (SERVES 4-6)

This is delicious! Delicate, superbly aromatic, bursting full of flavour. Fresh Tamil spices, creamy coconut milk, lime juice and fresh coriander…absolutely beautiful. Our version of the Tamil ‘Vadagam’ blend, the locals would tend to use this blend mixed with onions and garlic, then dry the mixture in the sunlight to form a ‘stock-cube’; south Indian style!!

WHAT YOU NEED

INGREDIENTS:

500g/1lb onions, peeled, diced

60g/2oz ghee, butter or 3 tbsp vegetable oil

4 cloves garlic, crushed or blitzed

20g or 1 fat inches ginger, grated or blitzed

1 packet of GREEN SAFFRON Vadagam Spice Blend

1 tin coconut milk

1 tin tomatoes, chopped

1kg/2lb chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces

Coriander, fresh, roughly chopped

Juice and zest of ½ lime

Salt, a little to taste (optional)

HOW TO MAKE IT

Sweat the onions in the ghee in a heavy-bottomed pan until soft.
Turn the heat up to medium, add the garlic and ginger. Stir for a couple of minutes.
Next, add your whole pack of GREEN SAFFRON Vadagam Spice Blend and stir for another minute.
Turn up the heat a little, add the tomatoes and coconut milk, stir and cook for 2 or 3 minutes.
Add the chicken and cook on a gentle heat until everything’s cooked, approx 20 to 25 minutes.
Take off the heat, grate the lime zest into the pan, squeeze in the lime juice, sprinkle with the fresh coriander.
Stir, check the seasoning, adding salt if you think it needs it, stir again, then serve immediately…simple!

SERVING SUGGESTION:

Sprinkle with freshly chopped coriander and serve with Green Saffron’s Indian Basmati rice and Naans.

REMEMBER:

This recipe has been tried and tested by the Green Saffron Masaalchi and is pretty much guaranteed, but if you want to change the quantities of a couple of ingredients go for it….experiment and enjoy your cooking. With Green Saffron spices you can’t go wrong!!!

WHY NOT TRY

Try replacing the chicken with the same quantity of turkey or try it with lamb and cook for about 1½ hours with the lid on until cooked. Fish could also be used. Monkfish is recommended as it has a firmer texture. Again, remember to only just cook the fish. This could take as little as 15 to 20 minutes.