Mark McGrath's signature dish from Heat 2 of MasterChef 2014
Ingredients
- for the chicken breast:
- 1 skin on chicken breast
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 0.5 tsp salt
- 1 tblsp olive oil
- for the dressing:
- 1 tblsp tahini
- 2 tblsp natural yogurt
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 lemon (using half the juice)
- 1 tsp harissa
- a pinch of salt
- for the lentils:
- 1 cup puy lentils
- 1 tblsp olive oil
- 0.5 a white onion
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 tblsp smoked paprika
- 0.5 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 thumb sized piece of ginger
- 1 plum tomato
- 2 cup water
- for the fennel:
- 1 fennel bulb
- 50ml orange juice
- 50ml water
- 1 star anise
- 1 tsp olive oil
- for garnish:
- a small bunch of coriander (to use the leaves)
- a pomegranate
Method
- From the start:
- Preheat the oven to 1800C
- Starting with the lentils, dice 1/2 an onion and finely chop 2 garlic cloves, the piece of ginger and 1plum tomato.
- Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a pot over a medium to high heat. Add the diced onion and sauté until just translucent and starting to colour.
- Add the chopped garlic and ginger, and stir for 20 seconds. Add 1 tbsp of paprika and ½ a tsp of turmeric and stir for 20 seconds more.
- Add the chopped tomato and simmer for 4 minutes.
- Add the lentils and the water bring to the boil and then simmer with the lid on for 30-40 minutes until the lentils are quite dry and cooked through but still holding shape. If the water is absorbed too quickly then add more and if the lentils are too liquid then lift the lid off to let some water evaporate.
- For the chicken, grind the tsp each of coriander and cumin seeds with the ½ tsp of salt in the pestle and mortar and mix in the tsp of garam masala. Coat the chicken breast in them and leave aside until cooking.
- Heat the pan over a medium-high heat. Add the oil and cook the chicken breast skin side down for 6 minutes until browned and beginning to crisp.
- Place the chicken onto the baking tray skin side up with a bit of the oil and put in the oven for 20 minutes until cooked through.
- Chop the fennel bulb into 6 wedges, heat 1 tsp of olive oil over medium heat in a saucepan and brown the wedges of the fennel all over.
- Add 50ml of orange juice, 20 ml of water and the star anise. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until tender, tasting the braising liquid as it simmers, adjusting the strength by adding more of the water if it is too strong.
- Grind the garlic clove in the pestle and mortar with a pinch of salt and then mix in the tbsp. of tahini, 2 tbsp of yogurt, the tsp of harissa and the juice of half a lemon, tasting and adjusting as necessary. Leave the dressing aside ready for plating.
- Remove the chicken breast from the oven and rest it for 5 minutes on a side plate tented with foil until plating.
- Cut the pomegranate in half and remove the seeds by placing it cut side down in your hand, with fingers apart and hitting the rounded side with a spoon. The seeds will fall out and the white flesh will remain in the cavity. Leave aside for plating
- Pick some of the nice leaves of the coriander and leave aside for plating.
- To finish:
- Place two curved smears of the dressing on opposing sides of the plate.
- Place a mound of lentils in the centre of the plate.
- Cut the chicken breast into two at a 50 degree angle from horizontal. Plate the first piece of chicken on the lentils and then the second resting on the first.
- Place a piece of fennel curved side down on each smear of dressing.
- Top the chicken and the dressing with the coriander leaves.
- Dot the plate with a few pomegranate seeds.
