Kashmiri Style Chicken Curry

Hello February! I can't believe you are already here! January was such a whirlwind with most of the month packed with family visiting from far, get togethers and wedding celebrations and what not…! :)

I have not posted anything since a long time. Though I wanted to; just that fitting that into my schedule is a task! I have resolved innumerable times that I will not procrastinate... I will be regular... but things just never work as planned in my life, especially when this food blog is concerned. Though I did find a little time to do a quick post containing easy and healthy breakfast ideas for babies and toddlers and I hope these recipes help all those supermoms out there.

February is also a very happy month for me. Why?! Well there are a couple of reasons. :)

The First being, my recipe for Home-made Baked Chicken Nuggets was featured in the ‘Recipe of the Week’ section of Kids Directory. It definitely was a happy moment for me. For those of you who haven’t come across Kids Directory, here is a peek into what it’s all about:

Kids Directory is an online and offline guide catering to Bangalore families. It is an excellent resource directory solely dedicated to helping parents in Bangalore identify various resources and businesses that can be of benefit to their families.

They provide a wide range of information about schools, camps, childcares, products & services for children, retail stores, lessons, afterschool activities, family friendly events and restaurants in Bangalore, party planning, and a lot more. And what’s best, their publications are available for pick up at various locations spread across Bangalore for FREE! Yes, Mommies and Daddies, for free and they sure are valuable resources for us parents.

For more details on Kids Directory, please visit their website on the below link:

http://kidsdirectorybangalore.in/

Here is the link to my Recipe Feature in their Online publication:

http://kidsdirectorybangalore.in/2014/01/31/homemade-baked-chicken-nuggets-give-your-kid-one-and-hell-come-running-back-asking-for-more/

The Second reason for my joy is today’s post is my hundredth recipe post on my blog. So here I present my hundredth post with this awesome Kashmiri Style Chicken Curry. I have mostly covered food from Kerala, where I come from, however, making it a repertoire from around the world has been and still is my goal.

I am so happy you kept me company by encouraging, complimenting, flattering and just showing up. Without your support it would not have been such a great experience. Heartfelt thanks to my dearest family and friends who stood by me and pushed me to make this blog happen. And of course a big tight bear hug to the two most awesome people in my life, my Husband R– my bestie and my favorite little one year old – my Daughter M. Love you both to bits. :)

So today I'm doing a quick post, about a delicious dish I found in a magazine the other day. I just randomly picked up this magazine, flipped through the pages and found this simple chicken recipe and decided to give it a try.

This dish is a good, down-to-earth and homey style chicken preparation.

What I love about this recipe, besides it being a breeze to make, is that everything about it shouts out KASHMIR in capital letters. The aromatic spices, onion and thick tomato gravy clubbed with the rich taste of cashewnuts and raisins cannot get more Kashmiri.

This scrumptious chicken curry paired with a simple pilaf, plain steamed rice or rotis is one of the simplest and tastiest meals you can make. It can be served as a whole meal or added to the table as part of a more elaborate spread especially when you have a house full of hungry family and friends.

Let me just stop going on about it and get to the recipe. Hope you enjoy your ride to Kashmir with me!!

Ingredients

1/2 kg Chicken; cleaned & cut into medium size pieces

1 big size Red Onion; finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon Ginger; finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon Garlic; finely chopped

1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons of Kashmiri Chili powder (adjust as per spice tolerance)

1/4 teaspoon Turmeric powder

1 teaspoon Coriander powder

Salt; to taste

Refined Oil

1 to 2 Cardamom pods

1 to 2 Cloves

A medium size piece of Cinnamon stick

2 medium size Red Onions; finely sliced

2 medium size Tomatoes; finely chopped

4 to 5 teaspoons of Cashewnuts; fried & kept aside

1 to 1 1/2 tablespoon Raisins; fried & kept aside

Generous amount of Coriander leaves; finely chopped

Method

Grind together onion, ginger, garlic, chili, turmeric and coriander powders along with salt to a smooth paste. Marinate the chicken pieces with the ground paste and keep aside.

Heat oil in a wok and fry the spices. (cardamom, cloves and cinnamon) till raw smell disappears. Add the sliced onions and sauté till onions turn light brown. Now add the marinated chicken into it and sauté till pink color of chicken goes away.

Once the chicken is sautéed well, add the chopped tomatoes and stir well. Pour enough water into this and combine well. Check for salt at this time and add if necessary. Once this comes to a boil, turn down the heat to a gentle sim and cover and cook the curry till the chicken is cooked through and gravy has reduced. (this curry has a semi-thick consistency)

Once the gravy is nice and thick, switch off flame and add the fried cashewnuts, raisins and lots of fresh coriander leaves.

Voila! Chicken curry is ready, get ready to devour!

Recipe Courtesy: Vanitha