At my house, this recipe has been made three times in the last two weeks.  It’s that good.

 

I’ve written before about Dishoom, the truly extraordinary UK Indian restaurant (and soon to have an NYC location!). I am also the proud owner of the restaurant’s Cookery Book and Highly Subjective Guide to Bombay with Map, a weird and wonderful love letter to Mumbai. I can’t endorse it enough.

 

On a recent trip to London, some friends of mine discovered Dishoom’s magic at my recommendation, and came home positively swooning over the Chicken Ruby.  I had to try my hand at it, but I also made a batch featuring tofu (not that big of a fan of chicken usually), tweaking the recipe as I went along, as is my wont.   It turned out wonderfully.

 

Chicken Ruby gets its name from the playful Cockney rhyming slang “Ruby Murray,” a nod to the famous 1950s Irish singer. In London slang, a “Ruby” simply means curry.  Dishoom’s version pays homage to this bit of British food culture while serving a rich, silky curry in the traditional North Indian makhani style. The protein is bathed in a tomato‑cream sauce full of warm spices, making it a dish that’s as flavorful as it is historically charming.  I also like to think of the pomegranate topping as an echo of little rubies glinting on the surface of the dish when it is served.

Marinade

 

Ruby (Makhani-Style) Sauce

 

Garnishes

 

Two days before

Wrap the tofu in paper towels, put on plate under a weighted cast iron skillet for 20-30 mins to press the water out of the tofu; this improves the texture immensely.

 

Dry the tofu, then dice into bite-sized cubes and place in gallon ziplock bag.  Freeze overnight.  Freezing transforms the smooth, soft tofu into a sponge-like, chewy texture that holds up better in cooking and absorbs flavor more easily. (Read: it’s more meaty.)

 

One day before

Remove the tofu from freezer and mix all of the marinade ingredients together, spoon into ziplock bag with the tofu and refrigerate overnight.  The tofu will likely still be at least partially frozen when you add the marinade and refrigerate.  That’s okay.

 

Optional: To get a head start on the sauce, make the sauce as described below, stopping before the addition of the cream or coconut cream, and refrigerate until the next day.

 

Day of

Heat the oil in a large, heavy pan over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger, stirring constantly until just barely beginning to pick up color. Add bay leaves, cardamom pods, and cinnamon sticks; cook for 1 minute until fragrant.

 

Add tomatoes, chili powder, and salt. Simmer uncovered 25–30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thick and glossy and reduced by about half.

 

Stir in butter, cumin, garam masala, sugar, honey, and fenugreek or maple syrup. Simmer another 10 minutes.  If making the sauce ahead, stop here and refrigerate.

 

Meanwhile, set oven broiler to high and broil the marinated tofu until cooked through and medium charred (about 8–10 minutes), checking often, as broil temperatures can vary by oven.

 

Remove the cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, and sachet d'épices with cardamom, stir in cream, add tofu to the sauce. Simmer gently 8–10 minutes.

 

Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, sugar, and lime juice.  Serve with garnishes, rice and/or naan bread.

 

Note: sachet d'épices (French for "spice bag") can be made from cheesecloth or a coffee filter tied with kitchen twine and is used to infuse flavor into liquids like stocks and soups, allowing for easy removal.