Turkey Jhal Frezee
Pat Chapman's Taste of the Raj - a celebration of Anglo-Indian cookey
A huge roast turkey or goose was often the Christmas treat in our family. Even a large family found it a filling dish, and there were invariably left-overs for Boxing Day. The memsahib and bobajee (who was by now exhausted by his Christmas efforts) banked on it. This stir-fry ('jhal' means pungently hot, and 'frezee' means fried) was a standard way of cooking left-overs.
You can use left-overs, but here I am using fresh turkey or chicken breast. It is delightful served with spicy rice, or if you do have it at Christmastime, try it with some of the other dishes in this chapter. Incidentially, in the Bengal Hills, a Buddhist tribe called the Mogs can still be found. In Raj days, manu Mogs became bobajees. Jhal frezee or jalfri was, and is, a Bengali/Bangladeshi speciality, and it was the Mogs who taught the memsahibs this delicious way to cook the left-overs. The thing about this recipe is that it is really quick to do, under 15 minutes, in fact.
Ingredients
700g (1lb 9oz) turkey or chicken breast, weighed after skinning and boning
3 tablespoons ghee or oil
2 teaspoons white cummin seeds
1 tablespoon curry masala mix
3 or 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2.5cm (1 inch) cube ginger, shredded
2 or 3 fresh green chillies, shredded
4 or 5 spring onions, bulbs and leaves, chopped
3 tablespoons red bell pepper, chopped
6 to 8 cherry tomatoes, quartered
2 or 3 tablespoons coconut milk powder
2 teaspoons garam masala
2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander leaves
salt to taste
Garnish
some chopped fresh mint leaves
Method
Cut the meat into bite-size pieces.
Heat the ghee or oil in the large wok. Add the seeds and stir-fry for a few seconds. Add the curry masala, and a few splashes of water, and continue stirring for about 30 seconds more. Add the garlic, ginger, chillies, and spring onions, and stir-fry for about 3 or 4 minutes, continuing to add splashes of water.
Add the red bell pepper, and the meat, and stir until the meat is evenly coloured and sizzling. Then add the tomatoes and gently sizzle for about 8 minutes, adding sufficient water to keep things mobile.
Now add the coconut milk powder, garam masala, fresh coriander leaves and salt to taste. After a couple more minutes frying, it should be ready. Check that the meat is cooked right through by cutting one piece in half and ensuring that it is white right through. Then garnish and serve.
Serves 4.
