Want to impress your friends with your fantastic culinary
skills? Here’s one way to do it. Not quick, but simple, and with a little bit
of acting, you can pass yourself off as a master-chef. Here’s what you need…
INGREDIENTS
Boneless chicken – 300 grams
FOR THE MARINADE
Ginger (roughly chopped) – one heaped teaspoon full
Garlic (roughly chopped) – one heaped teaspoon full
Plain yoghurt (non-sweetened) – 3 tablespoons
Green Chilli – 4 – 6
Coriander powder – 2 level teaspoons
Salt – 1 level teaspoon
PHORON
Coriander seeds – ½ teaspoon
Jeera seeds - ½ teaspoon
Whole black pepper - ½ teaspoon
Bay leaf – 1 large
FOR THE GRAVY
Coriander leaves (roughly chopped) – 2 cups full
White oil for cooking.
Water – half a cup at room temperature, and half a cup, warm.
METHOD
1. Cut
the chicken into bite size pieces.
2. Put
the ginger, garlic, green chilli, yoghurt, salt and coriander powder in a
blender, and blend it into a smooth paste.
3. Marinate
(that’s just a fancy word for mix and let be) the chicken in the paste for at
least half an hour.
4. Put
the two cups of coriander leaves in a blender, add half a cup of room
temperature water, and blend into a smooth paste and set aside.
5. Heat
oil to smoking, and add the coriander and jeera seeds, whole black pepper and
bay leaf.
6. Now,
without giving the phoron a chance to burn, add the chicken, marinade and all,
and keeping the heat high, cook, stirring frequently, for five minutes or so.
7. After
five minutes, lower the heat, and cover and cook for 45 minutes to an hour, stirring occasionally.
The chicken will release a lot of water, and will cook slowly.
8. Once
the water has reduced, and the oil has separated from the gravy, stir half a
cup of warm water into the coriander leaf paste, and pour it into the chicken.
9. Raise
the heat, stir and reduce the gravy to desired consistency, but don’t overdo
it. This dish will have some gravy, and the freshness of coriander leaves is
destroyed upon prolonged heating.
10. The
gravy should be done in about two minutes, take it off the flame immediately, and
serve with steamed basmati rice.
Serves – 2 to 3 people
Preparation time – 30 minutes
Cooking time – 1 hour
NOTES
The potency of green chillies varies widely, so
please be careful. I used the short stubby ones. If you get the giant ones, please
use your intelligence.
Be careful not to allow the phoron to burn, it will make the
dish taste bitter.
Adding warm water for gravy prevents the temperature of the
dish from getting suddenly lowered, and is better for the taste of the dish.
As always, try it a few times, and you will get it right.
