An Invitation to Indian Cooking - Madhur Jaffrey [39]
Remove lid, raise heat to medium, and cook for 5 minutes to boil down some of the liquid, turning the chicken pieces carefully. (You should be left with a thick sauce.)
Mix in reserved fried onions, and cook at same heat another 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
To serve: Place contents of pot in warmed dish and serve with hot pooris or hot chapatis or almost any kind of rice. You might serve okra or eggplant or green beans as a vegetable. Since this dish is cooked with yogurt, serve a non-yogurt relish, such as Cucumber and Tomato with Lemon Juice. A fresh green chutney (mint or parsley) might also be refreshing.
Chicken in light sauce
SERVES 4–6
Here is another relatively uncomplicated chicken dish made with whole spices (khara masala), ginger, and garlic. In India a whole chicken is used, skinned and cut into small serving portions. I often serve just legs and breasts since they are easier to handle with fork and knife and no one is stuck with the back.
This dish tastes particularly good if you make it a day in advance and let it sit in its sauce, covered and refrigerated, overnight. It can be reheated easily on top of the stove over a low flame.
3 tablespoons tomato sauce
3 tablespoons plain yogurt
4 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
A piece of fresh ginger, about 1-inch cube, peeled and coarsely chopped
4 chicken legs
1 whole chicken breast
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cinnamon stick, about 2½ inches long
2 bay leaves
5 whole cardamom pods
5 whole cloves
2 hot dried red peppers (optional)
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon lemon juice
In a small bowl, combine tomato sauce, yogurt, and 1 cup of water. Mix well and set aside.
Put chopped garlic and ginger into the container of an electric blender, along with 2 tablespoons of water. Blend until you have a smooth paste.
Cut chicken into serving portions: divide legs into drumstick and thigh, and quarter the breast. Remove skin from pieces of chicken and pat dry.
Heat oil in heavy-bottomed 10–12-inch casserole-type pot over medium-high heat. Put in chicken pieces, a few at a time, and brown on all sides. When each batch turns a golden brown, remove with slotted spoon and do the next batch. When all chicken pieces have been done, put the cinnamon, bay leaves, cardamom, cloves, and red pepper into the same oil. Stir once. The spices will darken immediately. Now pour in the paste from the blender (keep face averted as you do this) and add the turmeric. Stir and fry for about a minute.
Next, put in the browned chicken pieces, the mixture of tomato sauce, yogurt, and water, salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil. Cover, lower heat, and simmer gently 20 to 25 minutes, turning chicken pieces a few times.
Uncover pot, raise flame to medium, and cook 5 to 7 minutes or until sauce is reduced to half, turning the chicken pieces over gently.
To serve: Put contents of pot into a hot bowl and serve with plain boiled rice or hot pooris. Serve at least one vegetable—green beans, eggplant, or cauliflower might be nice. As a relish, Tamarind Chutney with Bananas or Cucumber and Tomato with Lemon Juice could be served.
Chicken with potatoes
SERVES 2–3
This dish is fairly similar to the preceding one. No yogurt is used, however, and the addition of boiled potatoes gives it a rather thickish gravy. If you wish to double this recipe, double all ingredients except the oil. Instead of 5, use 6 tablespoons of oil. Your cooking time will not change much, except that of course you will have to fry the chicken in two batches. You will also need a bigger pot. (In this recipe I use a skillet.)
3 medium-sized potatoes for boiling
1 medium-sized onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
A piece of fresh ginger, about 1-inch cube, peeled and coarsely chopped
1½ pounds chicken sections
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cinnamon stick, 2½–3 inches long
1 bay leaf
4 whole cardamom pods
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