Dhurandhar Dhania Chicken

So, the other day we (my husband and I) completed two years (time flies!) of being engaged. It is not like I celebrate our monthly anniversary but we somehow remember the day of our engagement. 

Not many people know that while my parents were looking for a suitable match for me I had asked them to find a family who would let me cook chicken for cooking chicken is not allowed at my place *HUMPH!*. And during my postgraduate days I enjoyed experimenting and creating various dishes with the white meat.

Now, my husband absolutely loves home cooked chicken. And, since I never shy away from doing something special, I decided to cook my husband a chicken curry to celebrate two crazy years of our engagement. 

That ways he gets to eat what he loves and I get to cook what I love. WIN-WIN.

I have named the curry “Dhurandhar Dhania Chicken”. The recipe is quite simple but the taste is absolutely luxurious. 

The best part about this recipe is that even though it tastes so good it does not give your stomach a cumbersome task to perform. The curry is filling yet the tummy doesn’t feel cheated and bloated.

I know it was a success at my place not because I passed the taste test myself, not because the kitchen smelt of the lovely gravy, not because my sister-in-law said “it is nice” but because my husband ended up eating more than he usually does *BIG SMILE*. 

So if your man or your family loves to have chicken all you have to do is gather these simple, readily available ingredients and follow the steps mentioned below.  I bet you will steal the show.

 

Tempting! Isn't it?

Ingredients (serves 5 or 4 hungry chicken loving people)

1 kg chicken

5-6 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)

1.5 tbsp ginger garlic paste

1.5 onions cut into thin long slices

2 tomatoes (pureed)

½ cup of readymade tomato puree

1 bowl of yoghurt

9-10 ground cashewnuts

5 tbsp coriander powder

4 tbsp chicken masala

1 tbsp red chilli powder

1 tbsp turmeric powder

3 tbsp garam masala

Salt as per taste

½ tbsp sugar

Handful of fresh coriander

3 cups of water (or as required)

Recipe

Defrost the chicken. Once it has reached the room temperature, poke a fork or knife in various places in all the chicken pieces. This will help the chicken absorb the flavours better.

Put 2 tbsp ghee in a pan and caramelise the onions. Take them off the flame when they are brown and let them cool.

Grind the caramelised onions with yoghurt to form a paste. Keep this aside.

Put ghee in a deep bottom pan. Add ginger garlic paste to it.

Add the pureed fresh tomatoes and cook for a few minutes.

Add turmeric powder, coriander powder, garam masala, chicken masala and red chilli powder.

Let the spices cook for a few minutes.

Add the onion-yoghurt paste and salt.

While it is cooking, grind the cashews with some water to form a paste. 

Add the paste to the pan.

Toss in the chicken pieces and give it all a good stir. Add some readymade tomato puree and cook till the chicken looks half cooked (white in a few places).

Add water to this and cover the pan and let it cook for ten minutes.

Take the lid off add some chopped coriander and let the chicken cook without the lid now, for another ten minutes.

Add some sugar to balance the tanginess of tomatoes. Cook till the gravy thickens and the chicken is absolutely white and cooked.

Transfer it to a bowl. Garnish with some fresh coriander leaves.

Serve hot with chapattis or rice with some vinegar onions and green chillies on the side.

Note:

Do a taste test when the curry is almost done. If you feel something is missing add a spoonful of dry spices (coriander powder, garam masala and chicken masala) and cook. It should be complete.

If you have cooked the chicken in the afternoon to have it for dinner, the gravy will thicken. Do not fret. Just boil some water with some salt, a pinch of red chilli powder, ½ tbsp each of coriander powder and garam masala and add it to the curry. Heat in the microwave and the curry will be as fresh as ever!