On my trip to India, I was given this great recipe book written by Sanjeev Kapoor "Khazana of Indian Recipes". I bought a bunch of spices in a spice farm in Kerala, and Ranjit's dad was very nice to get me spice powders I would need for most Indian dishes. Since that was the only way for me to get any Indian meals in Kaunas, I started trying out different recipes couple times a week since I got back. Chicken Curry was the first one I made and to my own surprise, it turned out pretty edible :-) Today, I am making it again along with basmati rice and curried masoor lentlis for a small Saturday lunch.
For the Chicken Curry, you will need:
800 g boneless and skinless chicken (I made half the amount today)
4-5 onions
4-5 tomatoes
1 in. cinnamon stick
4-5 cloves
4-5 green cardamon pods
1 tblsp ginger paste (or chopped ginger)
1 tblsp garlic paste (or chopped garlic)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tblsp coriander powder
2 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
salt
coriander leaves for garnish
oil
Cut the chicken into large pieces, chop the onions and puree the tomatoes. Have all ingredients ready as it all starts burning while looking for spices or looking up the recipe once you begin frying...
Heat up some oil and fry the cardamon, cloves and cinnamon for about a minute (until they release the aroma).
Add the onions and fry them till they are golden brown.
Add the garlic and ginger pastes and fry stirring constantly for another minute. By now, your neighbours will know you are cooking :-) Add turmeric, coriander, cumin, and chili powders and mix it well. Put the tomato puree in, stir it and cook it for a bit longer.
Add the chicken pieces, salt to taste and let it cook on a high flame for five minutes turning the chicken pieces around.
Add about a cup of water (you can add more water depending on what consistency sauce you prefer; I like it thicker), bring it to a boil, reduce the flame, cover the pot and cook until the chicken is completely done (10-15 minutes). This is the time, when you can relax or set the rice and start cleaning up around if you manage to make as much mess as I do when cooking :-) Finally, add garam masala and coriander leaves to garnish.
Serve it hot over a bed of rice.
*While cooking the rice, I put a whole star anise to the pot, which added a very nice flavour to the rice.
Posts
2 Comments:
I just moved to India from Canada so this was my first attempt at cooking Indian-style. I have to say that it turned out quite well! Thanks for sharing.
Hi Kristin, this was the first Indian dish I made myself as well! I remember being quite scared to start with, but it was amazing how after mixing, what it seemed like at that time, unbelievable amount of spices, it turned out like a real thing :o) I am happy to know that you liked the recipe. Thanks for your comment.
Post a Comment