Chicken Dhaabe Ka: A Delicious Chicken Curry

This 15th of July was just another Wednesday at home. But all of us had an adrenaline rush when my sister’s class 10th board results were declared. She did extremely well and secured a position in the top 10 of her school. A massive success meant hearty celebrations and food. This is when, I came up with my version of the Dhaba Style Chicken Curry. A rich yet simple curry, made with fragrant spices and regular ingredients at home.

Preparation Time: 15 mins, Cooking Time: 30 mins

Ingredients for the Chicken Curry:

700-750 gms of chicken (cut into medium-sized pieces), 5 medium sized onions(4 chopped in thin slices and 1 diced), a small diced tomato, 1 inch ginger, 10-15 cloves of garlic, 5 green chillies, 2 tbsps of curd (or yogurt), 2 teaspoons of red chilli powder, 2 teaspoons of turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon each of coriander and cumin powder, 1 teaspoons of Shahi garam masala powder, 2 bay leaves, 5tbsps of refined or sunflower oil, 150 ml of hot water

Procedure

• Marination:

1. Take the chicken in a big mixing bowl. Add in the curd (or yogurt) to it.
2. To this, add in a teaspoon each of turmeric and red chilli powder.
3. Mix well and leave it for about 15 mins.

• The Masala Paste:

1. In a mixer/grinder, add in the chopped ginger and garlic.
2. To this, add the diced onion and green chillies.
3. Grind into a smooth paste.

• Cooking:

1. In a pan or a kadhai, pour 4 tbsps of oil. Heat it gently.
2. To this, add in the marinated chicken. Sauté it for 5-6 mins.
3. Take out the chicken in a separate bowl.
4. To the same pan or kadhai, add in a tbsp of oil (if there’s no oil left).
5. Add in the bay leaves and sauté the sliced onions in it until they are translucent.
6. Pour in the masala paste and cook until it starts separating form the oil.
7. Add the tomato to this.
8. After this, add the remaining turmeric and red chilli powder, coriander powder and cumin powder. And also your salt, as per taste.
9. Cook until the raw smell of spices are gone. This will take about 4-5 mins. Add some hot water so that the masala doesn’t burn.
10. Add the chicken to this and mix well. Sauté for about 4 mins and then, add in the water.
11. Cover and cook for 15-20 mins or until the chicken is just cooked. The gravy will not be watery, it should be thick and rich in consistency.
12. After this, add the Shahi garam masala to the chicken. Cover and cook for 3 mins.
13. Serve hot. Enjoy it with rice or Rotis of any kind. Bon appetite!