Indian Spiced Grilled Chicken with Yellow Moong Dal and Carrot

Spicy and filling, this dish will stick to your ribs without all the calories.

Serves 2

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 2 cups yellow moong dal
• one large carrot/peeled
• about twenty long green beans, finely diced
• ½ an apple/peeled and finely diced
• one shallot, finely diced
• 2 cloves of garlic/slivered
• 1 green chili, finely diced
• 1 ½ teaspoons fresh shaved ginger
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted then ground
• ½ teaspoon tumeric
• 1 ½ tablespoons coriander seeds, toasted then ground
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• salt/pepper
• 2 handfuls fresh chopped coriander, saving some for garnish
• ½ lemon juiced
• small handful of arugula
• *optional: two branches of fresh curry leaves
• 3 tablespoons Ghee
• 3 tablespoons ground nut oil
• about 4 cups of water

CHICKEN CRUST

• 1 tablespoon potato starch
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon chili powder
• 1/3 teaspoon salt and several cracks of pepper

MARINADE

• ½ cup greek yoghurt
• 3 teaspoons olive oil
• ½ teaspoon tumeric
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon garam masala
• 2 tablespoons ground garlic
• juice of one lemon
• salt/pepper

First you need to soak the dal. This type of dal soaks for about four hours so do this ahead of time. Then you will need to make the marinade. Simply blend all of the listed ingredients into a bowl and place rinsed chicken breasts into mixture. Refrigerate and marinate at least 2 hours, but best overnight. Make sure to remove the chicken from the fridge about 30 minutes prior to cooking.

Mix your “chicken crust” and set aside on a plate.

Rinse and drain your soaked dal and set aside. Dice your carrot into thick rounds. Take one tablespoon of ghee and one tablespoon of ground nut oil and fry your shallot for 1 minute. Add the chili, garlic, and ginger and fry another 2 minutes. Add the spices and cook until a paste forms, about one more minute. Then add in your dal. Stir fry a few more minutes, and cover with water. Cook on medium heat for about 15 to 20 minutes. Add water as you go along, similar to cooking risotto, a little at a time. Then add the salt, carrot, and apple and cook for another 10 minutes. Then add the green beans and cook until thick, or about five minutes. Season and add two tablespoons of ghee and the coriander and set aside. You can reheat when chicken is ready.

Take the chicken out of the marinade and dry completely with paper towels. Heat a hot pan with 2 tablespoons of ground nut oil and and toss the chicken in the “crust”. Shake to remove access and place in pan. A grill pan works for this as well. Reduce heat to medium and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes and add the remaining ghee. Cook until you see the chicken almost opaque, about ¾ from bottom to top, or about 7 to 8 minutes, and turn over. If you were able to find curry leaves, place them in the side of the pan, lifting pan to cover them in the oil and butter so they fry, and then fry them until they turn a vibrant green, or about one to two minutes, and drain them on paper towels. Salt them slightly. Grill chicken for another 5 to 6 minutes and set aside to cool. Reheat your dal mixture and place in a circular mound on a plate. Slice the chicken into strips and place on top of the dal. Sprinkle with coriander, curry leaves, and half a lemon. Place a few leaves of arugula around dish and then drizzle remaining yellowed oil in pan over dish with a spoon.