Once in a blue moon, everything just falls into place. You have all the ingredients you need idling in the fridge, waiting to be put to good use, you have time to cook them, nothing explodes, burns or befalls any other ill fate in the cooking process, and suddenly, just like that, you have a meal on the table that would you suspect might garner a nod of approval from even the culinary god Nigel Slater himself.

Tonight was one of those nights.

Somehow, with minimal fuss, at precisely 6:30 pm (civilized, I know!), we had put a BBQ approximation of Tandoori chicken, curried cauliflower, spicy cabbage, homemade raita, and McAuslan Apricot beer on the table, for elegant sunday night Indian dinner.

Well, to be honest, we planned the chicken (we had to, since it had to marinate over night), but everything else was leftovers that were in the fridge, in need of some TLC. The cauliflower was sauteed in a blend of indian spices and oil, then steamed. It was based loosely on Food and Wine’s Cauliflower, potato and pea curry (sans potatoes and peas). The cabbage, was done a la Chachi’s Kitchen, and the raita was a total afterthought: mint, cilantro, yougurt cumin, pop ’em in the blender and voila.

So there you have it, amidst a sea of marmalade-muddles, laughable loafs, and other culinary escapades, a damn fine dinner. Who knew?

Tandoori-ish Chicken:

4-5lbs chicken thighs and drumsticks, bones in, skin off

Marinade:

1 1/2 c yogurt
1/4 c lemon juice
2 tbsp chili powder
2 tbsp paprika
2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cayenne powder
1-2 cloves garlic finely chopped
1 tbsp ginger finely chopped or grated
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Mix all marinade ingredients together and coat chicken thoroughly (you can either use a large resealable ziplock bag, or a pyrex baking dish). Refrigerate overnight. Non-stickify and preheat a grill, drain the chicken, and plop it on the grill (it will make a mess, but its worth it). Grill covered, over direct medium-hot heat for 15 minutes, turn, and grill for another 10-15 min (until juices run clear). Serve with raita.

Raita

1/4 c cilantro, rinsed and chopped, tough stems removed
2 tbsp mint leaves chopped
1 tsp cumin
Salt and pepper
3/4 c yogurt

Pop the whole lot in the whizzer, whiz, chill and serve.

Curried Cauliflower

1/2 a large head of cauliflower
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon dried red-pepper flakes
A couple cloves,
1 cinnamon stick

1/4 c oil

Heat the oil in a large frying pan, add the spices and cook until fragrant. Add the cauliflower and stir to coat with spice mixture. Cook for about 5 minutes, then add 1/4 c water, cover pan, and steam for another 15 min or so, until most water is absorbed and cauliflower is soft. Remove lid and boil off remaining water.

Spicy Cabbage

(Recipe taken from Chachi’s Kitchen)

1/2 a large cabbage; finely shredded
1 12oz can of diced tomatoes (with their juice)
2 cloves garlic – minced
1 inch ginger – grated
2 serrano chilies – minced
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp black mustard seeds
1/2 tsp tumeric
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp cumin
salt to taste

Heat oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds, as soon as they start to splutter, add the tomatoes, garlic, ginger and the minced chillis, stir and fry for a few minutes. Add the cumin, coriander and tumeric, fry for a few minutes. Add the shredded cabbage, stir well, so that it is coated with the mixture. Add salt and cook for 15 minutes or until the cabbage is cooked.

And of course, no Indian meal is complete without chai:

Masala Chai

1/2 c milk
2 whole cloves
3 green cardamom pods (cracked open)
1/2 inch peeled ginger, sliced thin
4 -5 2 inch pieces lemon grass
2 tsp Indian black tea leaves (I usually put this in a tea-ball)
2 tsp sugar (or to taste)

Bring 1 1/2 c water, milk, cloves, cardamom, ginger and lemon grass to a boil in a saucepan ovr med. high heat. Add tea and sugar, reduce heat, and simmer for 2 min. Remove from heat, cover, and let steep 3-4 minutes longer. Strain into 2 teacups.