Chicken tonight

A different chicken curry for each night of the week

BY RAJNI ANAND LUTHRA

(That would be about thirty, at last count). And that is not including the ubiquitous ‘butter chicken’, for which it is impossible to identify origins.

As we celebrate India this fortnight, let’s take the humble chook round the country and look at the different ways in which we can treat it.

Sydney chef and restaurateur Ajoy Joshi of Nilgiri’s fame does up his murgas in a southern Madras style and a northern Kashmiri style for us here – both equally finger-looking good. And we try and cover the regions in between by stopping off at Mangalore, Goa, Punjab, and a Parsi joint along the way!

But what about Butter Chicken? Well, if you know of it as a creamy mixture of tomato paste and tomato puree into which tandoor-cooked chicken is dunked, then it is definitely not Indian, but some vaguely Indian-influenced concoction that fine diners have learnt to steer clear of. In one of the recipes here, we bring you what could possibly be the authentic version of the reddish pink chicken curry that has been sitting all-day long in the bain-marie at your local Indian diner: Murgh Makhani. We cook it for you here with chicken drumsticks.

Enjoy!

Shakoothi (Goan style chicken)

1 kg chicken pieces of choice

2 medium onions, sliced

2 medium onions, chopped fine

2 medium onions, quartered

¾ small coconut fresh grated

¾ cup thin coconut milk

½ cup thick coconut milk

1 ½ tbsp coriander seeds

1 ½ tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp black mustard seeds

1-inch piece cinnamon

4 cloves

¼ tsp black peppercorns

Pinch nutmeg

1 dry red chilli

6-8 cloves garlic, crushed

1-inch piece ginger, grated

Green chillies to taste

½ tsp turmeric powder

4 tbsp vegetable oil

Salt to taste

Juice of one lime

Coriander leaves for garnish.

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a heavy-bottomed pan and roast the coconut with sliced onions till they start to turn brownish in colour. Blend to a pulp in blender, using a little water.

Dry roast together coriander seeds, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, cinnamon, cloves,

Murgh Khubani (Chicken with Apricots)

1 cup dried apricots

2 tbsp vegetable oil

3 brown onions, halved and thinly sliced

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp grated fresh ginger

1 ½ tbsp minced garlic

3 fresh mild long green chillies, slit lengthwise

3 green cardamom pods, crushed 1-inch piece cinnamon stick

1 whole chicken, cut into 10 pieces

3 ripe tomatoes, chopped

¾ cup water

¼ tsp saffron strands, soaked in 2 tbsp water for 10 minutes

½ tsp Nilgiri’s garam masala

Steamed Basmati rice to serve peppercorns, nutmeg and dry red chilli over medium flame. Grind to a fine powder in a dry grinder.

Put apricots in a bowl, and cover generously with hot water. Set aside 20-30 minutes to soften. Dran and set aside.

Meanwhile in a frying pan, heat oil over medium-low heat. Add onions and salt and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until onions are dark golden brown, 20-25 minutes.

Raise heat to medium, add ginger, garlic, chillies, cardamom and cinnamon and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 2-3 minutes. Raise heat to high, add chicken pieces and cook, turning occasionally, until chicken is golden brown, 3-4 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and water, reduce heat to low and cook, partially covered, until chicken is cooked through and tender about 20 minutes.

Add apricots and saffron and water and stir well. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes to blend flavours. You don’t want apricots to become too soft.

Taste and adjust seasoning with salt if necessary. Remove from heat and stir in garam masala.

Serve immediately with basmati rice.

Blend garlic, ginger and green chillies together in a blender, using a little water. Heat remaining oil and sauté chopped onions till brown. Add garlic-ginger mixture, salt and turmeric turn heat down to medium.

Introduce chicken and stir well to combine. Add ground spice powder, stir for a minute, then put in thin coconut milk. Cook, covered, till chicken is almost done.

Then put in quartered onions, thick coconut milk and coconut-onion paste and bring to a boil. Add water if needed. Simmer for about ten minutes until sauce thickens. Finish off with lime juice and coriander leaves.

Mangalorean Chicken

750 gms chicken pieces of choice

1 small fresh coconut, grated

Dry red chillies to taste

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp black peppercorns

1 tbsp coriander seeds

1 tbsp tamarind paste

Green chillies to taste

8 cloves garlic

1-inch piece ginger

1-inch piece cinnamon

2 cloves

3-4 green cardamom

½ tsp turmeric powder

2 medium onions finely chopped

½ tsp) fenugreek seeds

2 tbsp oil

Salt to taste

Coriander leaves for garnish

Dry roast cumin seeds, black peppercorns and coriander seeds. Grind together in a dry grinder along with dry red chillies, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom.

Blend together fresh coconut, green chillies, ginger and garlic.

Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed pan and throw in fenugreek seeds. When they start

1 kg chicken thigh fillets

¼ cup buttermilk

2/3 cup vegetable oil and melted unsalted butter, combined

1-inch cinnamon stick

3 green cardamom pods, cracked

3 whole cloves

1 tsp powdered asafetida

5 brown onions, chopped

2 ½ tbsp crushed fresh ginger

2 ½ tbsp crushed garlic

3-4 tsp chilli powder

2 ½ tbsp ground coriander

4 tsp ground turmeric

Salt to taste

8 tomatoes, chopped

1 cup chopped frsh coriander

2 tbsp crushed black peppercorns

18 fresh curry leaves to splutter, add brown onions and fry till translucent. Introduce the mixture from the blender. Turn heat to medium and allow to cook, stirring, till it is all aromatic. Now put in chicken, salt and turmeric and mix well to combine. Add tamarind paste and water, and boil till sauce thickens and chicken is cooked. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves before serving.

Kozhi Kuttan

(Chicken Curry Kerala style)

1 ½ kg chicken pieces of choice

1 ½ tsp turmeric powder

Salt to taste

1 tbsp yoghurt

1 ¼ cup coconut milk

2 ½ cups water

4 tbsp coconut oil

Dry red chillies to taste

1-inch piece ginger, chopped

10 cloves garlic

½ tsp black peppercorns

1 tsp fennel seeds

1-inch piece cinnamon

In a glass or ceramic bowl, combine chicken and buttermilk, and mix well. Place in refrigerator to marinate while preparing sauce.

In a large, heavy saucepan or karhai, heat oil and butter mixture over medium heat. Add cinnamon, cardamom and cloves, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Immediately stir in asafetida, then add onions. Cook onions, uncovered, stirring often, until dark golden brown, 10-15 minutes. Add ginger and garlic, and cook, stirring, for one minute. Add chilli powder, coriander, turmeric and salt to taste,

10 cloves

3 green cardamom pods

5 tbsp coriander seeds

½ tsp cumin seeds

2 medium onions, finely chopped

2 green chillies

1 cup tomato puree

Mix 1 tsp turmeric powder and a little salt in the yoghurt and marinate the chicken pieces in this.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp coconut oil in a heavy-bottomed pan and roast together the dry red chillies, ginger, garlic, peppercorns, fennel, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, coriander and cumin seeds. Grind together into a paste, adding a little water if needed.

Heat remaining oil and fry the onions until lightly browned. Add remaining turmeric powder, the ground paste, green chillies and tomato puree. Cook for about three minutes, stirring constantly. Introduce chicken and mix well to coat. Check seasoning.

Add coconut milk and stir to combine and stir until fragrant, about one minute. Add tomatoes and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes soften and sauce thickens slightly, 1015 minutes. using a little water.

Stir in chicken and buttermilk and cook, stirring often, until chicken is done, 5-10 minutes. Add coriander leaves, peppercorms and curry leaves, and mix well. Serve with steamed rice.

Grind cashewnuts into a paste, using a little water.

Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed pan. Add onions and fry till brown. Add chilli paste. When combined, introduce the chicken. Add salt and stir fry briefly.

Add water, mix and cover tightly. When chicken is nearly done, add cashewnuts paste, tomato sauce and sugar. Cook till chicken is fully done and sauce thickens.

Murgh Makhani (Butter Chicken)

There are a number of variations of this dish commonly called Butter Chicken. However, you might find this one slightly unusual, given that there are no shortcuts – no tomato paste or supermarket tomato puree. We confess the preparation time is roughly three hours, so even if you don’t want to try this one out, read on for its interesting technique in preparation.

8 chicken drumsticks

For preliminary marination

3 ½ tsp garlic paste

1 ¾ tsp ginger paste

¼ cup lemon juice

For secondary marination

½ cup yoghurt

2 tbsp fresh cream

3 ½ tsp garlic paste

1 ¾ tsp ginger paste

1tsp chilli powder

½ tsp cumin powder

1 tsp black cardamom powder

½ tsp green cardamom powder

Cinnamon powder

Rose petal powder

For gravy

90 gms butter

2 ½ tsp ginger paste

2 ½ tsp garlic paste

1 kg tomotoes

1-inch piece ginger

2 green chillies

3 ½ tsp cashewnut paste

Salt to taste

½ tsp chilli powder

150 mls fresh cream

1 tsp dry fenugreek leaves (kasoori methi)

1 tsp garam masala well. Cover and cook until chicken is done and sauce is thickened, stirring intermittently.

Skin chicken drumsticks. Mix all the ingredients for preliminary marination and apply over chicken evenly. Keep aside for 20 minutes.

Murghi Ma Kaju (Chicken with cashew nuts, Parsi style)

1 ½ kg chicken pieces of choice

2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste

Dry red chillies to taste

1 tsp cumin seeds

½ cup cashew nuts, broken into pieces

1 ½ cups water

½ cup vegetable oil

2 medium onions, sliced

Salt to taste

3 tbsp bottled tomato sauce

1 tsp sugar

Marinate chicken in ginger-garlic paste for about an hour.

Meanwhile, soak dry red chillies in water for about fifteen minutes, then drain water and reserve.

Grind chillies and cumin seeds to a paste,

Prepare secondary marination by whisking yoghurt in a bowl and adding to it all the remaining ingredients. Rub chicken with marinade and keep for at least 4 hours in the refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees and cook chicken.

Wash and roughly chop tomatoes and ginger, deseed and slit green chillies. Cook in pre-heated oven for about ten minutes or until three-fourths done.

Then, for gravy, melt half the butter in a pan; add ginger and garlic pastes. Stir over medium heat until moisture evaporates. Them add the done tomatoes and salt, stir, cover and simmer until tomatoes are mashed. Force the mixture through a fine mesh soup strainer and keep aside. Melt the remaining butter in a pan, add the ginger and the chillies that were done with the tomatoes in the oven. Saute over medium for a minute, add the grilled chicken, the tomato puree and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce to low heat, add cashewnut paste and stir. Add chilli powder and simmer until of thick sauce consistency. Remove from heat, stir in cream, bring to a boil and sprinkle top with kasoori methi and garam masala.