LONDON- Today I have the pleasure to share a simple yet thoughtful sweet recipe suggested by the globe trotting brand strategist & writer Nik Thakkar. He takes elements of a simple dish and makes it his own. In short, this isn’t your everyday recipe for Pan Fried Cumin and Honey Chicken. In Nik’s hands it becomes just a wee bit more…
For those of you that don’t know Nik, I can say that he is that rare combination of an honestly nice guy that is very cool. Nik Thakkar is a London based creative brand consultant, pop culture expert and writer best known for visual cult media entity and blog KARLISMYUNKLE.COM and co-pioneering global entertainment and fashion campaigns with world renowned creatives including Dita Von Teese, Jean Paul Gaultier, Karl Lagerfeld, as well as projects with Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy. Nik is a columnist for The Huffington Post, has partnered with Dolce & Gabbana on content collaborations and writes a weekly fashion column for leading US celebrity superblog popbytes.com
KARLISMYUNKLE has shot to global success, endorsed by Dolce and Gabbana, and has fast become one of the most influential fashion and culture sites on the web. Nik is currently working on his first multi-platform novel due for release later this year.
Niki is definitely known in the fashion and pop culture scene, but what many of you probably didn’t know is that Nik loves cooking as he revealed to us during his interview
“cooking is a creative art form. Like any artist, you can be brilliant whether you are trained or untrained. For some people it is a natural gift. I personally love experimenting in the kitchen and never follow recipes. I let my instincts lead the way! I take my inspiration from independent restaurants and street food. I also love fusing cuisines from different cultures. I don’t always have the chance to cook due to my lifestyle and rarely being at home, but when I have that moment alone and naked in the kitchen or if I am cooking for friends, it is always worthwhile”
Here below are ingredients, preparation and words of wisdom for Nik’s recipe:
Pan Fried Cumin and Honey Chicken
Ingredients: (can serve 4 people)
1 tbsp of chilli infused olive oil/ truffle oil
A large handful of cashew nuts (Approx 90 g.)
½ onion
½ garlic
A drop of soya sauce
3 tbsp of freshly ground cumin powder
3 tbsp of organic honey
1 tbsp of salt
3 boneless chicken breasts
“People either love or hate sweet and savoury fusions – personally, I absolutely love them. A meat dish with fruit sauce or South American chicken in chocolate sauce will always win me over. So my favourite recipe that I am sharing with you is inspired by my mother, who is a big fan of cumin and also the reason why I can actually function in a kitchen! When I was younger, she often roasted freshly ground cumin, so the smell has always evoked childhood memories of my mother cooking.
Preparation:
Pan Fried Cumin and Honey Chicken is a great dish, as it is really simple, but also quite exotic and very healthy! It also goes well with salad or brown rice, or even a plate of fresh fruit!
I love cooking with different oils – whether it is sesame seed, chilli infused olive oil or truffle oil. I feel that it brings out more depth in the meat. I also love cashew nuts and either crush them into a dust or oven roast them until they are blackened and crispy. So I tend to start this dish with a table spoon of oil and some nuts on a pan. I add garlic, onions and a drop of soya sauce to the pan.
If you have time, I would suggest marinating the chicken breasts in milk and cumin for a few hours, to tenderise it. You then chop the chicken breasts finely into cubes and add them to the pan along with a little more oil and three table spoons of freshly ground cumin powder. Keep it moving on the pan as much as possible until they are 3/4 cooked. Following this, you add three table spoons (one per breast) of organic honey and continue to regularly move the chicken. Add a little bit more honey if the chicken starts to stick, but after about five to eight minutes on the pan, the dish should be ready to be eaten!”
