Classic Punjabi Chicken

Hello, boys and girls!

Welcome to another spicy edition of cooking with Varun! Navratri is long gone, Diwali isn't here yet and it's a Thursday which means no one should have an excuse (or be obligated) to be vegetarian! (Unless of course, you are vegetarian, in which case you can refer to some of my vegetarian recipes.)

Now, it's no secret that I'm Punjabi. Not that you can tell, seeing as I've never lived in Punjab; but having grown up in a Punjabi household, being called things like 'khota' and 'kanjar' and eating rajma and chole and kadhi (among others), my 'Punjabiness' does tend to reflect in my (Indian) cooking.

Today's dish is my version of the classic Punjabi chicken. Chicken curry with Punjabi spices, simple enough to be cooked by anyone, spicy enough to warm you from the inside on a cold day and tasty enough for you to sneak a sideways look to see if anyone is watching and then lick your fingers.

On that note, let's begin!

For my Classic Punjabi chicken you will need the following:

Chicken                                  500gms (on the bone or boneless, you pick)
Onions                                    2 large or 4 medium
Tomatoes                                2 medium

Jeera (cumin)                         1 heaped tsp
Dhaniya (coriander) powder     4 tsp

Jeera (cumin) powder            3 tsp
Red chilli powder                     4 tsp
Haldi (turmeric)                      pinch
Garam masala                         1 tsp
Ginger garlic paste                  3 tsps
Dahi (yoghurt)                        1 tbsp
Green chillies                          2
Salt                                        to taste
Ghee/oil     

Prep:

1. Put your right leg in.
2. Put your right leg out.
3. Put your right leg in and shake it all about.
4. Do the boogie woogie (or hokey pokey if you prefer) and turn your self around. That's what it's all about!
5. Shake head at my juvenile attempts at humour and get on with it.
6. Wash and cut up the chicken. (If it's boneless. If it's on the bone, get it cut from the butcher.)
7. Toss the chicken into a bowl.
8. Add in the dahi, 1 tsp of ginger garlic paste, pinch of haldi, 2 tsp of red chilli powder, 2 tsps dhaniya powder, 1 tsp jeera powder and salt.
9. Lovingly mix the contents of the bowl.
10. Wash hands.
11. Cover the bowl up and put it in the fridge.
12. Blitz/grate the onions.
13. Blitz/grate the tomatoes.
14. Chop the chillies.

Method: 

1. Turn on the gas.
2. Bung a kadhai/pan on.
3. Add in the onions. (No ghee/oil at this point.)
4. Watch them sizzle.
5. Move the onions around until the water from the onions evaporates.
6. Add in the ghee/oil.
7. Make a little hole in the middle of the onions in the kadhai.
8. Toss the jeera into the hole.
9. Quickly cover the kadhai to stop the popping jeera from escaping.
10. Count to 10.
11. Take the cover off and duck as one overly enthusiastic seed makes a mad bid for freedom.
12. Mix the jeera and the onions.
13. Add in the chillies.
14. Add in the ginger garlic paste.
15. Cook until the onions are brown.
16. Drop the heat to low.
17. Sprinkle in the red chilli powder.
18. Add in the dhaniya powder.
19. Add in the jeera powder.
20. Add in 1/2 tsp of the garam masala.
21. Mix like crazy before it all burns!
22. Add in the tomatoes. (And a bonus squirt of tomato puree for colour!)
23. Mix well, using the water in the tomatoes to deglaze the kadhai i.e. get the sticky bits off.
24. Bump the heat back up to medium. 
25. Cook until the oil separates from the mixture.
26. Retrieve the bowl of chicken from the fridge.
27. Dump the contents into the kadhai.
28. Mix until the chicken is nicely coated with the masala.
29. Move the mixture around until the outside of the chicken goes from pink to white.
30. Add in the salt.
31. Add 2 cups of water. (Or more if you want a gravy.)
32. Mix it all up and put a lid on.
33. Cook for 15-20 minutes. Stir occasionally.
34. Take lid off.
35. Get hit in the face by a cloud of steam.
36. Let it simmer for 2 or 3 minutes.
37. Turn off gas.
38. Add a pinch of garam masla on top.
39. Throw on some chopped coriander leaves.
40. Put lid back on.
41. Let it sit for a few minutes.
42. Take kadhai to the table.
43. Serve with garam rotis or rice. 
44. Stuff face. 
45. Bask in the glory of your successfully executed dish.

Tip: Keep the gravy thick. With garam rotis, it will knock your socks off.

And remember, overeating is a myth. A full tummy is a happy tummy!