Achari Murgh/Chicken With Pickling Spices

Usually Wednesdays are the days in my house when non vegetarian dishes are prepared in the evening for dinner.I do not like  non vegetarian curries much coz  I feel that chicken,mutton etc when dunked in the gravy becomes very heavy!I prefer the dry roast, skillet fried or the grilled versions more. Taking the tradition of opposite tastes,my husband likes them a lot….i  mean a lot Usually once a week I do prepare a heavy, sinfully spicy meal because that’s the best way he feels at home…i guess

This chicken dish is quiet popular in the indian state of Punjab for its spicy rich taste and flavor. The spices used in the dish are the ones used popularly in northern india for making various types of pickles.The spices give the dish a unique aroma which is typical to the indian pickles.I tried this recipe the first time and it turned out very well.And to my surprise it was not a long,tiring procedure either!

What I needed:

• 1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken ,washed & cut into pieces[use any part, I used thighs]
• 2/3 cup plain yogurt
• 1/4 cup mustard oil + 1/4 cup olive oil (or canola or sunflower or vegetable oil)
• 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
• 3 ” ginger shoot, grated
• 8-9 cloves of garlic, grated
• 1  cup tomato puree from 3-4 Roma tomatoes grated
• 1 tsp salt

Pickle/Dry Spices:

• 6-7 whole dry red chillies (or adjust amount as per taste)
• 1 tsp black mustard seeds
• 1 tsp fenugreek seeds
• 1.5 tspn cumin seeds
• 3 tsp fennel seeds[saunf]
• 1 tsp nigella seeds [kalonji] [Traditional recipe calls for it so I m noting these seeds here, I do not like the taste so I omitted these in my preparation]
• 2″ stick of cinnamon
• 3 cloves
• 3 tsp turmeric powder
• 3 tsp dry red chili powder [ if required]
• 1 tsp dry coriander powder
• Salt to taste

How I did it :

• In a bowl,marinate the chicken with salt, yogurt and 1 teaspoon turmeric powder.Set aside for 15 minutes.
• On a tawa/skillet, dry roast red chillies, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, nigella seeds[if using], cinnamon and cloves separately. Cool the spices and grind coarsely in your coffee blender. About 8-10 pulses.
• Heat the oils (both mustard & olive together] in a thick-bottomed pan.
• Add the sliced onions and saute till light brown. Add grated ginger and garlic and continue to saute for about 5 minutes at medium heat.
• Add grated tomatoes, turmeric powder, coriander powder & red chili powder (if using ) to the pan and cook on medium heat till the mixture just starts leaving oil on the sides of the pan [about 5-6 minutes]
• Add the coarsely ground dry spice powder. Cook for half a minute, keep on stirring so that the mixture does not stick to the pan
• Add the chicken pieces, salt to taste & cook on medium heat till the chicken starts browning on sides.
• At this point add 2 cups of water [ or more or less as per gravy consistency desired] , stir everything together and bring to a boil with lid on.Once the mixture comes to a boil, lower the heat and  cook on low heat till the chicken is fully done and the desired gravy thickness is achieved.The gravy should not be too watery.
• Garnish with chopped coriander/cilantro if u desire.
• Serve hot with flatbread or jeera [cumin]rice.

Notes:

1. If you are using chicken with bones, the cooking time will be slightly more.
2. Avoid cooking the gravy on very high heat else the color will vanish.
3. You use the same preparation with potatoes, eggplant, cauliflower for the vegetarian version.Tastes equally delicious!!

Enjoy!

Sending this to CWS – Fennel Seeds event by Priya

ending this to Show me your curry event by Divya of dil se.