Hydrabadi chicken

It will surely be hard to believe, that there was once a time, when the bird of choice was not allowed inside the middle class Bengali household. Most of the women would conjure up a makeshift gas made of bricks wood or mud in the courtyard or backyard and cook this up for the men folk of the house. The kids were of course never stopped from relishing it.

Cut to today's time: a huge percentile of the Bengali population is not very hot on fish, they have forged a deeper bond with the humble bird: chicken. And why not? I mean if we concentrate well, the reasons backing this bird are many. Now since i feel too lazy type out the reasons, why don't you tell me your views on this statement of mine. I would be waiting eagerly to hear from you.

Recipe time now, no more diversion I promise. I cooked this recipe from the book of Indian cooking by the beautiful home cook of Indian origin, Anjum Anand. What probed me to cook it up is certainly the simplicity of this dish, packed with a punch, & the droolworthy flavors spices of courses. The back note of spices in a creamy gravy of this sort, never fails to win over my heart, hands down. I always look for recipes such as this, for the dinner table after an evening of boozy chat session with friends. Most people across the globe will agree with me, I guess, to the simple fact that rice and curry being the most comforting dinner meal after the body has been feed good amount of alcohol. Works well me, should work for you as well. Let me show you the humble ingredients, and here we go: 

1. Wash and clean aboutv800gm chicken, on the bone and keep aside. In a mortar & pestle pound together the following: 7 fat cloves of garlic+  1.5 inch piece of ginger + 3 green chilies with a pinch of coarse salt. once done, scoop it out and keep aside. Chop 1 medium onion as finely as possible. Chop up 1 medium tomato finely. Peel and quarter 3 medium sized potatoes

2. Wash the mortar & pestle well and pound 1/4th cup cashews with some water, about 1 tbsp. Make it a more-or less smooth mixture. In a separate bowl whisk about 180 gm yoghurt with a pinch of salt and 1 tsp (levelled) sugar and whisk well to get rid of lumps and dissolve sugar.

3. Heat 3 tbsp mustard oil in a  relatively big pan. Once the oil starts smoking, reduce the temperature. As soon as the smoke disappears add in 2 bay leaves + 2 dry red chilies (broken) + 2 black cardamoms (crushed) to the oil. In a matter of seconds both will change color, and throw in the onions at precisely the same time. Lower the flame and cook the onions till they turn soft & a brownish on the edge.

4.  Once the onions have turned brownish, add in the ginger & garlic paste and fry on medium high heat till the raw smell disappears. In a small bowl add beaten yoghurt+ cashew paste+ 1 tsp red chili powder+ 2 tsp coriander powder, stir with a whisk/ fork to combine well.

5. Add the washed chicken pieces to the pan and give a good mix. At this stage we just want the chicken to brown, which should take about a few minutes only. Now add in the chopped tomato+ 3tbsp tomato puree, mix well to combine. 

6. Once the tomato have disintegrated add in the yoghurt mixture to the pan. Mix vigorously to combine and bring to a boil. Add in the potatoes to the pan at this time. Mix it with the chicken and the spice content of the pan well. 

7. Clamp on the lid, reduce the flame and allow it to cook for about 15-18 min, or until the chicken pieces are tender. Once done, check the consistency of gravy, in case you want more add in some boiling hot water and cook for 5 more minutes.

8. WE finish the curry with a generous pinch of cardamom powder+ 1 tsp, (heaped) garam masala powder+ 2 tsp lime juice+  some chopped coriander leaves. Cover and allow the flavors to develop well.

9. I like to serve it alongside rice. Piping hot, is essential.

I think this can pair well with parantha  or chapati as well, but since I haven't tried it with bread so wouldn't stress on that. But yes, with the humble steamed rice, this gravy is a match made in heaven. However as always, some tips and tricks are here for you to learn:

a. I prefer to soak the cashews for a while, makes it easier to pound them. But in case if you want to use a mixer soaking isn't required.

b. If you are using a blender for making ginger-garlic paste, add in a splash of water to make it smooth.

c. If you are weary about the yoghurt splitting the moment it hits the pan, add in a generous pinch of cornflour/ flour to the mix. Hopefully this will help.

4. Even though this dish of Hyderabadi origin, yet I couldn't stop myself from adding in potatoes. Skip it if you are not a big fan of the tuber like me!

Now that the festivities are about to arrive, such recipes shall be handy and help you garner all the praise with little work and intelligent planning beforehand. The smile on all those known faces will surely be your reward. And you will have ample time to spend with your loved ones.