Non-vegetarian
A winter season delight. Full of flavours. Pungent. Aromatic. Guaranteed to send your taste-buds on a cruise. And open up your upper respiratory system like no other decongestant… 😉😉
Loads of gravy. Meant to be enjoyed with rice or thick rotis soaked in it. A personal favourite.
Before anything, I start with soaking the grounded spices (in this case…2 tsp red pepper powder, 4 tsp kashmiri mirch powder, 4 tsp dhaniya powder, 1 tsp haldi powder and salt to taste) in half a bowl of water. Mix thoroughly into a thickish paste mixture and put aside. When you finally need to use this mix in the dish, maybe in about 30 minutes, the spices will have released special flavours not otherwise exhibited. Also, adding powdered spices directly to the pot can give a little ‘burnt’ edge to it. May sound a little farfetched, but try it out once and you’ll know what I am talking about.
Heat the oil in a small handi (always use a handi with cover. Gives a much better flavour to the dish).
Add the sabut garam masala to the oil. Allow it to start flowing to the top.
Add onion paste to the pot. Mix well. Keep stirring on high flame till the oil starts showing.
Add garlic paste. Stir vigorously. Cover the pan for a couple of minutes (to preserve the garlic flavours).
When the oil starts showing again, add ginger & tomatoes pureed together, along with the soaked dry masala mix. Stir well. Cover the pan & let cook for a while. Stirring occasionally.
When the oil has floated to the top, and the colour of the masala has changed, add whisked dahi to the pot, stirring well till the mix comes to a boil again. Let it cook for a few minutes.
When the oil starts showing on the sides, it is time to introduce the washed chicken pieces to the pot.
My strategy here has always been to Bhuno the meat on high flame till the water has all disappeared. It requires a little effort to keep standing & stirring the pot all the while, but the resultant meats are much juicier than otherwise.
When all oil has been released in the pot, add hot water to the pot along with very finely cut fresh green coriander. Add enough water to leave you with a runny gravy once the chicken is fully cooked & tender. (This should not take more than 15 minutes). Important thing to remember is to cover the pot with a lid, place weight on it, and let it simmer on the sim flame. This will ensure that all flavours remain inside, and seep into the meat and the gravy.
Take off the stove. Let it rest for five minutes, before opening, checking for seasoning, and serving.
Best enjoyed with plain boiled Basmati rice…or with thick soft rotis (that soak in the gravy).
