So, the other day, we had guests over. I baked brownies (which are now all over. All 21 of them!) and mum made her famous Tamarind Chicken among other things. And we were like: Hey! What a neat, simple, easy chicken curry recipe! We must put this up on the blog. So I did.
The thing about this chicken curry is that it is a fuss-free recipe. The chicken marinade, when cooked, is your chicken gravy. And the tamarind gives it a tangy, sweet flavour uncommon to other Indian curries.
The chicken in question is on the bone, without skin. So, the marinade permeates to the inside of the flesh and softens it.
The first thing you need to do is to soak about 1 heaped tablespoon of Imli pulp in about a small cup of water for about an hour. Then, mash it between your fingers to release the pulp from the seed.
Next, in a large bowl, mix 3-4 tablespoons of ketchup (yes ketchup. Not very Indian, I know. But my mother isn't Indian so...) with 2 heaped tablespoons of ginger-garlic paste, 1 tablespoon of Coriander Powder (Daniya Powder), 1 tablespoon of Cumin Powder (Jeera Powder), a teaspoon of red chilli powder, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 2 cups of coconut milk, salt (according to taste) and sift the tamarind paste and add that to the mixture as well. Combine this with the chicken and leave it to marinade for at least 2 hours.
Then, heat about 2 tablespoons of oil (mum uses sunflower oil because the oil has a very mild favour and so, it doesn't overpower the final taste of the dish) in a wok and fry 2 whole dried red chillis (break both into two so that the chillies don't burst in the oil) with 1 teaspoon of Nigella seeds (Kala Jeera),1 teaspoon of Fenugreek seeds (Methi seeds) and 1/2 teaspoon (about 6 pieces) of dried Curry Leaves (Kari Patta).
When the chillies start to darken and the seeds splatter, add the chicken (not the marinade at this point) and fry it on both sides for about two minutes in total. This seals the moisture in the chicken and makes for tender, juicy chicken. Then, add the marinade, a cup of water, bring the chicken to a boil and then simmer, covered, on low till the chicken is fully cooked.
If at any time you feel that you need to add a bit more water then go ahead. Alternatively, if after your chicken is cooked, you feel that the gravy is too thin, you could remove the chicken on to a separate dish, heat the curry over medium heat to the desired consistency and then add the chicken back to warm up.
And that't it! Enjoy!
No comments:
Post a Comment