Thar Desert Red Chicken Curry If you love “spicy”, and I don’t mean just the fire, do give it a try. I promise you won’t regret. The recipe is family and friends approved and loved by all! Ingredients: (will serve 5-6) 3 lb skinless bone in chicken – drumsticks and thighs, (feel free to use any part of the chicken) for the marinade: 4 tablespoons lemon juice 1 tablespoon red chili powder (or to taste) – use Kashmiri red chili powder for less heat salt 1/2 cup grated onion 2 tablespoons ginger paste 1.5 tablespoons Chili Garlic paste 4 tablespoons yogurt for the Sauce/Gravy 1 cup + 2 tablespoon cooking oil 7 cups sliced onion (sliced in thin half moons) 2 bay leaves 4 small green cardamom, split 2 black cardamom. split 3″ cinnamon stick 4 cloves 4 tablespoons ginger paste/or grated ginger 2.5 tablespoons Chili Garlic paste 1/2 tablespoon turmeric 15 – 20 red dry chili (de seeded the chili peppers if you want the color but not the heat) or 3-4 tablespoon red chili powder, preferably Kashmiri red chili powder for less heat and a lot of color 2.5 tablespoons ground coriander seeds 6-7 cups warm water + 1/2 cup water 1.5 cup drained yogurt 2-3 tablespoons minced garlic, to add to the curry, after the dish is cooked on the meat and then cover and keep till ready to serve fresh lime to drizzle on the curry Preparation: Skin the chicken if they are not already done, wash and pat dry. With a sharp knife, make 2-3 deep slits in the chicken drumsticks. Cut the other chicken (if you are using mixed parts) in to 2-2.5 inch pieces. Rub the lemon juice, salt and the chili powder to the chicken pieces, reaching inside the slits and let them sit for about half an hour. In the mean time combine the rest of the ingredients for the marinade. After half an hour, toss the chicken pieces in the marinade and set aside. Let it rest for about 4 hours at least, overnight works best. If you are using dry whole red chilies instead of red chili powder, soak whole dried chili in warm water for sometime. Then grind to a smooth paste using little water. Heat oil in a large thick bottomed pan. Add the thinly sliced onion and cook slowly until they are fragrant and start to turn golden to brown. They will almost caramelize and this process will take anywhere from 20 – 35 minutes. Once the onions are near done and a lighter shade of brown add the bay leaves, cinnamon, cardamoms and the clove to the pan. Saute for about a minute and add the marinated chicken pieces. Save any extra marinade. Increase the heat and make sure the chicken pieces are in a single layer (try your best) as they need to be browned. Cook the chicken while occasionally tossing them, coating them with the spice mix and onions and browning them on all sides. All the pieces should have light brown spots. It will take about 15-25 minutes approximately. Add the ginger paste now, toss and cook for a couple of minutes. In 1/2 cup water combine, Chili Garlic paste, coriander powder, turmeric, ground whole chilies/chili paste OR red chili powder and salt. Add the extra marinade to the pan if you have any. Add this spice and water mix to the pan and cook slowly at medium heat while tossing the chicken pieces and spices frequently. Cook for about 15 to 25 minutes (the time will vary – watch for the oil to separate and leave the sides of the pan) until there is almost no water and the spice mix separates and the oil leaves the sides of the pan. Add the 6-7 cups of warm water, tightly cover and cook until the chicken is done and almost falling off the bone. Towards the last 15 minutes of cooking, open the lid a tiny bit for some water to evaporate and have the right consistency of the sauce/gravy. The curry should be soupy and should start to look cooked with the patches of red oil, floating on the top of the curry. Switch off the heat if done and cover. If you feel there is too much water left (the consistency will be soupy with lot of liquid gravy to dunk your bread in), partially cover and cook for some more time till it reaches the right consistency. Once all done, cool for about 15 minutes. Uncover, add the drained yogurt, stir it in and simmer at very low heat for no more than 5 minutes. Now add the minced garlic, stir it in and cover tightly until ready to serve. This dish tastes even better the next day as the spices and the flavor of the garlic infuses and blends well with time. Drizzle some lime juice if you wish before serving and serve with flat breads (tandoori roti/Naan/Makki ki roti etc) or any crusty bread. NOTE: The cook’s tip: Never keep a cooked meat curry uncovered until ready to serve. Keeping it covered seals in the moisture and flavors and prevents the meat from getting “tough”.
Posted on: Sat, 08 Nov 2014 00:49:06 +0000
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