Diwali

Meal Plan Occasions 3: Even More Special Occasions

Occasion 3 · Diwali

Today at a glance. A festive meal for 4 people for Diwali, the festival of lights, which falls in late October or November (the date changes every year, so check a current calendar). A mild, creamy butter chicken with fragrant rice and warm naan, and a slow-cooked cardamom rice pudding. There is a vegetarian version of the main meal in the first tip box. Quantities are for the whole table, in metric with UK names.

Main meal

Main meal · Serves 4 · Chicken (or paneer)

Butter Chicken with Pilau Rice and Naan

Prep: 20 minutes, plus 30 minutes' marinatingCooking: about 45 minutesAbout 45 minutes of hands-on workServes 4

Ingredients (4 portions)

  • 800 g boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 3 cm pieces
  • 150 g plain Greek-style yoghurt, for the marinade
  • 2 tsp garam masala
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp paprika or mild chilli powder
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice, for the marinade
  • 4 cloves garlic, crushed (3 cloves for the sauce, 1 for the marinade)
  • 3 cm fresh root ginger, peeled and grated
  • 2 tbsp sunflower or vegetable oil
  • 2 onions, finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp tomato purée
  • 1 tin (400 g) chopped tomatoes
  • 40 g butter
  • 1 tsp runny honey or sugar
  • 150 ml double cream
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander, to serve
  • 300 g basmati rice
  • 1 tbsp sunflower oil, for the rice
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds (or ground cumin)
  • 4 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
  • 1 pinch ground cinnamon
  • 4 naan breads, to serve
  • 1 pinch salt
A note on Diwali
Diwali is the Hindu, Sikh and Jain festival of lights, celebrated for 5 days in autumn, usually in late October or November, with lamps, sweets and family meals. Many families keep their Diwali meals vegetarian. For a vegetarian version, use 500 g of paneer (cubed) or 2 tins of chickpeas (drained) in place of the chicken, and add them to the sauce for the last 10 minutes. The date changes every year, so check a current calendar.
Make it ahead
Marinate the chicken in the morning or the day before. The sauce is even better made the day before: cool, chill and reheat gently before adding the chicken.

Method

  1. The marinade: in a large bowl mix the yoghurt, garam masala, turmeric, 1 tsp of the cumin, the paprika, lemon juice, 1 crushed garlic clove and half of the ginger. Add the chicken, stir to coat, cover and chill for at least 30 minutes (up to 24 hours).
  2. The sauce: heat the oil in a large, deep pan over a medium heat. Cook the onions for 10 minutes, stirring, until soft and golden. Add the remaining garlic, ginger and 1 tsp of cumin, and the tomato purée, and stir for 1 minute.
  3. Add the chopped tomatoes, bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, stirring now and then. Blend with a stick blender until smooth, if you like a smooth sauce.
  4. Add the marinated chicken to the sauce. Cook gently for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring, until the chicken is cooked through with no pink. Stir in the butter, honey and cream and simmer for 3 minutes. Taste and season with salt.
  5. The rice: rinse the rice in a sieve until the water runs clear. Heat the oil in a saucepan over a medium heat, add the cumin seeds, cardamom and cinnamon and cook for 30 seconds. Add the rice and stir for 1 minute. Pour in 600 ml of boiling water and a pinch of salt, bring back to the boil, cover, turn the heat to the lowest setting and cook for 10 minutes. Take off the heat and leave covered for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
  6. Warm the naan in a hot oven, a dry frying pan or the toaster. Scatter the coriander over the butter chicken and serve it with the pilau rice and naan.
Cook the chicken through
The chicken must be cooked right through, white all the way with no pink, and the sauce must be bubbling hot. The marinade is cooked with the chicken in the sauce. Wash your hands, the board and the knife after handling raw chicken. Chill leftovers within 2 hours and eat them within 2 days, reheated once until steaming hot.

Swaps

Chicken breast in place of the thighs (cook for 5 minutes less). Frozen peas or spinach stirred in at the end. Cauliflower or sweet potato added to the sauce. Mango chutney and a cucumber and yoghurt raita on the side.

Shopping list for this recipe

Dessert

Dessert · Serves 4

Cardamom Rice Pudding (Kheer)

Prep: 10 minutesCooking: about 50 minutesAbout 20 minutes of hands-on workServes 4

Ingredients (4 portions)

  • 100 g pudding rice (or basmati rice)
  • 1 litre whole milk
  • 75 g caster sugar
  • 6 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
  • 30 g raisins or sultanas
  • 30 g flaked almonds or chopped pistachios, toasted
  • 1 pinch saffron strands (optional)
Make it ahead
Kheer is delicious warm or chilled, and can be made the day before. It thickens as it cools, so stir in a splash of milk before serving. Add the nuts at the last minute.

Method

  1. Rinse the rice in a sieve and drain well. Put it in a heavy-based saucepan with the milk and the crushed cardamom pods (pods and all).
  2. Bring to the boil over a medium heat, stirring, then turn the heat down to low. Simmer gently for 35 to 40 minutes, stirring every few minutes (more often towards the end) so the rice does not catch on the bottom, until the rice is very soft and the milk has reduced and thickened to a creamy consistency.
  3. Stir in the sugar, raisins and saffron (if using) and cook for another 5 minutes. Taste and add more sugar if you like it sweeter. Fish out the cardamom pods if you can find them.
  4. Toast the almonds or pistachios in a dry frying pan for 2 minutes until golden.
  5. Serve warm in small bowls, topped with the nuts, or chill and serve cold.

Swaps

A spoonful of rose water or a pinch of nutmeg. Condensed milk in place of the sugar (use 4 tbsp, and stir it in at the end). Chopped dried apricots or mango.

Shopping list for this recipe
Coming up next
Occasion 4 is Christmas Eve, with a sharing supper of baked camembert, pigs in blankets, cured meats and bread, followed by homemade mince pies.