Cornish Game Hens with an Almond-Mace Sauce

Name: Cornish Game Hens with an Almond-Mace Sauce (Javintri Murghi)
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: India
Ingredients: ¼ cup slivered blanched almonds, ground; ¼ teaspoon ground mace; 2 tablespoons Ghee or canola oil; ½ cup finely chopped red onion; 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint leaves for garnishing; ½ cup half-and-half; ½ teaspoon rock salt, pounded; 5 blades mace, or ½ teaspoon ground mace; 6 red Thai or cayenne chiles, stems removed; ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg; Vegetable cooking spray; ¼ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems; 2 teaspoons coarse kosher or sea salt; ¼ cup slivered blanched almonds; ½ teaspoon ground turmeric; 2 Cornish game hens (about 1½ pounds each), skin removed, cut in half lengthwise (see Tip); ¾ cup plain yogurt; 8 medium-size cloves garlic, sliced in half lengthwise

Javintri Murghi

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

660 Curries

By Raghavan Iyer

Published 2008

About

The assertive flavor of Cornish hens is a great match for this robustly spiced marinade. Even though there are quite a few chiles in the marinade, its pungency tends to dissipate, especially when the hens are soused with the creamy sauce. The initial burst of mint is a pleasant surprise, adding perfume to the mace-nutmeg combination.

Ingredients

For the hens and marinade

2 Cornish game hens (about 1½ pounds each), skin removed, cut in half lengthwise (see Tip)
8

Method

Using a sharp knife, make four slits in each hen half: two into the breast meat, one in the outer thigh meat, and one in the inner thigh meat. Stuff a piece of garlic into each of the slits. Place the hens in a baking dish, meat side up.
To make the marinade, combine the yogurt, almonds, salt, turmeric, nutmeg, mace, and chiles in a blender jar. Puree, scraping th