No-Blender Gauti Chicken Curry

This is a No-Blender, spicy chicken curry. Freshly roasted and ground spices flavoured with crushed onion and garlic and cooked in a runny, rassaa style curry.

Serves 4

Ingredients

Chicken, curry cut pieces 700g  8 to 10 pieces

Turmeric 1 tspn

Salt to taste

Red Chilli powder 1 tspn

Garam Masala 2 tspn (Homemade is preferred)

Mustard Oil ½ cup

Ghee 1 tbspn

Cumin 1 tspn

Coriander seeds 1 tbspn

Cloves 4-5

Peppercorn 4-5

BlackStone Flower/ DagadPhool/ Pather Ke Phool 2 tspn

Dried Red Chilli 2-3

Onion 1

Garlic 4-5

Dried Coconut, grated ½ cup

Method:

1)      First, heat mustard oil in a heavy bottom pan upto smoking point. Once the oil starts fuming turn off the heat and keep it aside to cool. The cooked oil does not have the off smell of raw mustard oil and gives a distinct flavor to the food.

2)      In a bowl, add 1 tablespoon mustard oil, turmeric, salt, red chili powder, garam masala powder, mix it. Rub this mixture on the pieces of chicken and let it stand for a couple of hours.

3)      Crush the onion with your fist or with a belan (rolling pin) to bring out the flavour. Crush the garlic pods with the broad side of a knife.

4)      Heat one spoon of ghee in a pan, add cumin, coriander, cloves, peppercorns and dagadphool along with dried red chilies. Lightly brown the spices. Then crush them all together with a pestle and mortar or Khallal aur moosal as we know it.

5)      Heat the mustard oil in a pan, add in the crushed onion and garlic and allow it to brown a little. Now, add in the grated coconut and let the masala turn golden brown.

6)      Add in the chicken pieces (first the bigger bony pieces followed by the tender ones after two minutes). Allow them to sear and slightly brown on the sides.

7)      Add in the crushed spice mixture and two cups of water. Mix and add salt if necessary. Cover it with a lid and allow the chicken to cook on low heat for 8 to 10 minutes.

8)      Serve the chicken curry hot with steamed rice or warm chapatis.