Chicken Meri Pasanda – Chicken Curry the way I like it!

 

 

Hello my Dear Wonderful Readers!

How has the new year been so far? We have been trying to make changes to our normal life like not slacking around on household work and making sure we do not eat take out food as much as last year. So this means more cooking and more vessels to clean. But at least we will be eating healthy right? I have been brainstorming what to make everyday and I end up making one chicken or fish dish every day! Most of my time goes in just cleaning the meat (arrggghh.!!). Once the cleaning is done, its really easy to make the dish specially if the marination time isn’t too long. “Pasanda”means “like””So this recipe is ‘how I like’ and therefore Chicken Meri Pasanda! :p

Usually we leave the meat to marinate overnight but I really do not have the time to think ahead now days. So this will basically result in a few no “mandatory – marinating – meat – recipes ” This one is one such easy recipe that takes not more than 20 – 30 mins to cook and goes really well with any flavoured rice. Curries that are made with cream, nut paste, milk or yogurt are lighter on the heat radar ( less chilli) but high on flavour and spice ( some times sweet too) but that being said we love this combination. Serve with some toasted Papads, pickle and cut onions, this makes the perfect balanced dinner.

Ingredients :-

1. Boneless Chicken – 1 kg
2. Pepper powder – 1 tsp
3. Vinegar – 1 tbsp
4. Salt – 1 tsp
5. Onions – 1 + 1/2 cup ( chopped)
6. Ginger + Garlic Paste – 1 tbsp
7. Lemon Juice – juice of 1 lime
8. Tomato – 1 cup
9. Cinnamon Stick – 2
10. Cardamom – 3  ( crushed roughly)
11. Turmeric Powder – 1/2 tsp
12. Chilli Powder – 1 tsp
13. Garam Masala Powder – 1 tsp
14. Cumin Powder – 1 tsp
15. Keora Water – 5 drops
16. Coriander Powder – 1 tsp
17. Oil – 3 tbsp
18. Cashew Nuts – 1 cup ( soak the nuts in warm water for 10 mins)
19. Yogurt – 1/2 cup
20. Salt – according to taste

 

Instructions :- 

1. In a large bowl, add pepper + salt + vinegar and mix well
2. Then add the chicken and coat well with the pepper mixture. Set aside
3. In a flat bottom pan, add oil. Once the oil is nice and hot add the chicken and fry till slightly fried. Then fetch the pieces of chicken out from the pan and set aside
4. In the same pan add cinnamon and cardamom. While the cinnamon begins to sizzle, in the bowl of your food processor, add onions + lemons juice +ginger garlic paste and blend to form a nice smooth puree
5. Once the cardamom begins to sizzle, add the onion puree into the pan and fry for 3 – 5 mins
6. While the onion begins to fry, puree tomatoes in the food processor
7. After the moisture from the onions has reduced, add the turmeric powder, chilli powder, garam masala powder and cumin powder
8. Give it a nice mix and then add the tomato puree. It will boil and begin to bubble but just keep stirring
9. Finally add the semi fried chicken and mix to coat the chicken pieces well and cook for 5 mins
10. During this time, drain the cashew nuts into the bowl of your food processor. Add the yogurt to the cashew nuts and beat to form a nice paste
11. Now add this cashew-yogurt paste to the chicken in the pan
12. Stir well to ensure all the chicken pieces are coated well with the yogurt cashew paste.
13. Add salt according to taste and sprinkle Keora Water over the top
14. Cover and cook for another 5 mins and then serve right away with flavoured rice
15. I served mine with a simple mixed dry fruit pilaf