the vegetarian butcher

CORONATION CUISINE...

A chicken dish made for the queen

For her coronation banquet I mean

A spicy mix to be fed

In salads or bread

This one's made with the garbanzo bean.

Coronation Chick Peas and Potato Salad  (from Simon Rimmer's recipe in The Accidental Vegetarian)

I would have thought it unlikely that a dish most often made to use up leftover cooked chicken was originally designed for Queen Elizabeth's coronation banquet in 1953, but apparently Coronation Chicken had its debut on that menu.  It seems that chicken, curry and mayonnaise must be a bit of a royal favourite.  'Jubilee Chicken' was created for the silver jubilee of George V in 1935, another version for Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee in 2002, and again a 'Diamond Jubilee Chicken' made by Heston Blumenthal for the Royal Garden Party in 2012.  

Fitting then with the Queen's diamond jubilee celebrations still reasonably fresh in our memories, I wanted a recipe to try to satisfy my fondness for this dish, vegetarian style.  This time, I came across something in one of my cookbooks, The Accidental Vegetarian by Simon Rimmer, 'Coronation Chick Peas and Potato Salad'.  It is a nicely simple recipe but with the use of Chef's freshly made mayonnaise (I had every intention of buying a jar), and a lovely homemade vinaigrette, it was particularly flavourful.  I read online that the combination of fruit, curry and mayonnaise in jubilee or coronation chicken was intended to represent the colonies of the British Empire.  Taking this sovereign symbolism one tasty step further, Chef toasted slices of freshly baked granary bread embedded with ruby-like cranberries  and drizzled with a touch of olive oil which balanced the meal with a lovely sweet finish. 

So, was it a meal fit for royalty? Although thoroughly enjoyable and I would make this recipe again, I'm afraid this one came up a bit short for our purposes.  Coronation chicken is quite versatile but most often served as a sandwich or jacket potato filling.  This one is more of a rich potato salad on its own, so just doesn't fit the bill.  The use of chick peas however might be the answer to make this a 'meaty' dish so I'm challenging Chef to come up with something more suited for The Vegetarian Butcher.Co.

In the meantime, I felt I must share with you how he made his own mayo!

HOMEMADE MAYONNAISE

Note when adding the oil ALWAYS drizzle it in slowly as you are whisking hard to avoid spitting the mixture.

combine:

300mL sunflower oil

200mL rice bran oil

1 egg yolk

1 tsp dijon mustard

3 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp water

Combine the oils together.  In a separate mixing bowl whisk the egg yolk and mustard rapidly for 30 seconds.  Using a third of the oil, slowly drizzle 1 tsp and whisk until absorbed into the mixture (about 10 sec), repeating the process 4 more times (using a total of 5 tsp) then double the amount of oil added each time until a third of the oil has been used.  With the mixture really thick, add 1 tbsp of white wine vinegar and all of the salt, continuing to whisk.  Repeat 2 more times using a third of oil, then adding a tbsp of white wine vinegar.  To whiten the mayo whisk in the water or leave it out for a more yellow colour.