Bhuna Chicken

After coming home from the holiday the real task is managing our apartment. Dusty and putting everything into their respective places is something I really hate doing. Tomorrow...or the next day...I keep convincing myself that I will do them later!! For a few days I cook simple plain dishes to ease out our stomachs. Plain dal – chawal suffices them all!!

I learnt a new dish year from my mother – in –law. They call it “Bori Chechki”. In simple words, it can be described as “Bengali style sun dried dumplings stew”. Juts fry them in a little oil and then pour in sufficient water to boil it. Drizzle some mustard oil with a touch of salt and cook until the boris become soft and mushy. It may appear very simple but try it to be addicted towards it. One point of advice, do take a good quality bori, because the better the bori the better the taste of the dish.

Marinate the chicken.

Heat oil and add the chicken pieces to it. Shake off the excess marination paste before adding them to the pan / kadai.

When the moisture oozed out of the chicken pieces dries off pour the excess marinating paste to the kadai.

When the chicken is properly cooked through and the oil starts to separate from the curry, add in the chopped coriander leaves and garam masala powder over them. Check the seasonings and put off the flame.

Bhuna means frying and that is what exactly you have to do when you want to cook Bhuna Chicken. Chicken pieces cooked in a spicy red gravy is perfect for rice or roti, whatever you want to pick. I love love this chicken curry.

Bhuna Chicken

Serves 4-5

Ingredients:

1 kg chicken

2 medium onions

½ cup thick yogurt / hung curd

8-10 dry red kashmiri chillies

6-7 fat garlic cloves

1 inch piece of ginger

Juice of 1 lime

A handful of chopped coriander leaves

2 tsp turmeric powder

3-4 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp coriander powder

1-2 tsp garam masala powder

1 small cinnamon stick

2-3 green cardamoms

3 cloves

1 medium bay leaf

¼ th cup mustard oil

Salt

Method:

In a  grinding jar put together the onions, garlic, ginger, dry kashmiri red chillies, hung curd, cinnamon stick, green cardamoms, cloves, bay leaf, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, cumin powder and coriander powder.

Grind them together to make a smooth paste. Make sure no coarse item leaves behind.

In that prepared mixture add in the lime juice and salt. Mix in.

In a large bowl take all the chicken pieces and pour over the prepared marinating mix. Rub it over the chicken pieces well and leave for1 -2 hours.

After marinating, heat the mustard oil in a kadai and put the chicken pieces into the oil one by one shaking off the excess marinate.

Cook the chicken pieces well for 8-10 minutes, or until all the moisture that oozez out of the chicken is all evaporated.

Now pour in the excess marinating paste.

Cook them on medium heat until the chicken pieces are all cooked from inside and the oil has started to separate from the gravy / curry.

There is no need to add any extra water as the moisture from the chicken and the curd is enough to cook the chicken through.

Finally taste and adjust the seasoning.

Sprinkle the chopped coriander leaves and garam masala powder over the prepared chicken.

Give a final stir and put off the flame.

Serve hot with rice / roti / naan / tandoori roti / rumali roti.