Simple Sunday Chicken

The single Indian male is supposed to be the worst cook in recorded history, especially when living alone. They are supposed to be sloppy, ham-handed, slow to learn and just plain helpless in the kitchen; or so goes the stereotype. Doubtless a lot of this comes from the fact that the kitchen in India, for generations, has been the domain of the women of the house. Macho Indian men thought of cooking as a woman’s work, and I know of men who were actually called “girly” because they used to help out in the kitchen, chopping onions and the like.

But there are exceptions to the rule, and situations are rapidly changing. The vast majority of young women I know have no clue about cooking, and I know a very large number of men who are good cooks, my father being one of them. I am not someone who thinks that women should not work, or that a woman’s place is at home. But it remains a sad fact that two generations or more, of women moving out for work has meant that the skills of the kitchen, secret recipes, and grandma’s tips for adding zing to an ordinary meal, have not been passed down. Too many women I know tend to sneer at the kitchen, thinking of it as a symbol of their subjugation. I feel sad when people go out to restaurants to eat some of the most basic dishes which I have had for years at home.

I labour under the impression that it is far more satisfying to cook a simple meal at home than to order pizza or something similar ( and probably better for your health as well). Cooking has always been a great experience for me personally, and there are very few things that make me happier, than when someone enjoys a meal that I have cooked. For those who really do not enjoy cooking and think of it as a chore, I can only quote Michael Caine, “Pretend to have fun…and you might just have some by accident”.

This dish is something that I thought up when I started cooking the Sunday lunch some time ago, and probably the most attractive thing about it is that it’s really really simple, and can be made by the sloppiest of men (or women). There is nothing complicated about the process or the ingredients, and it is very light while still being tasty, and cooks fairly fast.

INGREDIENTS

Boneless Chicken – 600 grams, chopped into bite-sized pieces.
Onions - 3 Medium sized (or 2 large) – chopped fine
Garlic - 6 pods – chopped fine
Ginger - 2 inch piece – chopped fine
Green Chillies – 2 large, chopped fine
Whole black pepper -1 teaspoon
Fresh coriander/cilantro leaves -1 cup, finely chopped
Salt - 2 level teaspoons or to taste
Juice of one lemon
Oil - 4 tablespoons of for cooking (groundnut oil, rice bran oil, sunflower oil, or even olive oil will do)
½ a cup of hot water

METHOD

1.Mix together chicken, lemon juice and salt and set aside for one hour.

2.In a thick bottomed pan, heat oil to smoking.

3.To the smoking hot oil, add the whole black pepper and wait for about 5 seconds.

4.Throw in onions, and fry till onions start turning brown.

5.Add garlic, ginger and chillies and fry for about 30 seconds till ginger becomes fragrant, i.e., starts giving off a “cooked” smell.

6.Add chicken, along with the marinade, and stir thoroughly.

7.Reduce heat to low, and cover, stirring occasionally.

8.The chicken will release a large amount of water, which will slowly reduce, keep stirring periodically, or the stuff at the bottom will start burning and sticking to the pan.

9.Once the water has reduced, and you can see oil separating from the remaining gravy, add the hot water, stir thoroughly, turn the heat up and bring to boil.

10.Once the gravy has reduced to the desired consistency, add the chopped coriander, stir for about 10 seconds and take off the heat. Serve with steamed rice.

Average cooking time 40 Minutes
Serves 3 to 4

NOTES

•The potency of green chillies varies widely, and you may have to improvise with the amount to use, depending on the chillies and how much of it you can handle.

•You can use ghee instead of oil for cooking. I am a big believer in the fact that ghee, sparingly used, can make dishes more tasty without making you drop dead from cholesterol.

•You can improvise further, by adding some whole garam masala (2 cloves, 2 green cardamom pods, 1 inch piece cinnamon, crushed) and a bay leaf, into the smoking hot oil, right at the beginning, along with the whole black pepper. Be careful about crushing the spices, because if you don’t, they’ll explode once you put them in hot oil, with all the force of a firecracker.

•Do not keep the chicken on the flame for too long after adding the coriander. The fragrance of coriander is easily destroyed by heating.

•Take some time out to chop your onions, garlic and ginger really fine. The finer you chop them, the more readily they will dissolve into the gravy, making the gravy thicker and giving the dish overall, a more rich taste.