Chicken Mughlai

Go to a restaurant with a group of girl friends and you are going to have a really tough time deciding what to order. There will be people who want to stick to the tried and tested stuff, others who are adventurous and want to order the weirdest sounding dishes, yet others who are undecided whether they want soup and dessert and keep changing their minds. Just as difficult is deciding how much to order (with some declaring, "I am SO hungry"), and fitting it in with everyone's budget (with others declaring, "I am SO broke"). 

On one occasion that my friends and I decided to treat ourselves at Nelko, a restaurant frequented by most of my college mates, we ordered Mughlai Chicken and roti (after spending a ridiculously long time discussing (read arguing) various options). Not everyone was happy with this decision because Mughlai chicken was something we had never tried before, and was therefore a "risky" choice. And their worst fears were confirmed when the dish was brought in; on the plus side, it looked quite rich and creamy, but on the other hand, it had a significant number of black and green grapes (!), a few of them sitting right on top, daring us to eat them. Someone started giggling, and soon all of us were laughing (you know how it is with a gang of women) making the poor waiter quite self conscious. Once the laughter had subsided, and we had finished our meal, everyone looked happy and there was no more complaining, because it was quite delicious (plus the grapes served as dessert). 

Chicken Mughlai

Mughlai cuisine is one that befits royalty. Not surprising, since it was developed in the imperial kitchens of the Mughal Empire in India. It draws a considerable amount of influence from Persian and Turkish cuisines. Very rich and employing generous use of cream, milk, spices, dried fruits and nuts, Mughlai food and the Chicken Mughlai featured here are not for the faint hearted!

Recipe

(Adapted from Nigella Lawson's Chicken Mughlai recipe with few changes to fire it up a bit, according to my taste)

You will need:

(Don't let the long list of ingredients scare you. It is not difficult to make, and the end result is very good)

A

1.5 kg chicken pieces

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon salt

B.

1" piece ginger

8 cloves garlic (the small variety)

2 pinches cumin seeds

1 teaspoon coriander powder

3/4 tablespoon Kashmiri chili powder

4 tablespoons ground almonds (If you have whole almonds, blanch them in hot water for a minute, and slip off skin)

As required, water

C. 

5 cardamom pods, bruised
1 cinnamon stick, broken in half

4 dried chilies
2 bay leaves
6 cloves

1 tablespoon fennel seeds
4 tablespoons refined vegetable oil

2 onions, finely chopped

D.

250ml yogurt/curd
1 chicken tastemaker dissolved in 250ml water
125ml heavy cream
100g raisins

11/2 teaspoon garam masala
1 tablespoon sugar
To taste, salt

E.  

75g almonds (If you have whole almonds, blanch them in hot water for a minute, and slip off skin)

Method:

Mix together the ingredients labeled 'A'. Heat a couple of tablespoons of oil in a large pan. Add chicken pieces to the pan, a few at a time, and fry on all sides, so that the outside starts to whiten. Remove and keep aside.

Grind together all ingredients labeled B into a smooth paste, adding water as required.

Add some more oil to the pan in which you fried the chicken. Add spices and bay leaves labeled C to the oil, and fry for a few seconds on low heat. Toss in the chopped onions, and sauté till it turns translucent. Add the ground almond paste and cook, stirring every now and then, till it changes colour and starts leaving the sides of the pan. 

Now add curd, 125 ml at a time and mix well to incorporate. Add all the remaining ingredients labeled D, and mix well. Put the chicken pieces into the sauce, and stir well. Cover and cook till the chicken is done. 

Toast the almonds in a pan and scatter it over the chicken. Serve hot with roti, naan, kulcha or white rice.

I am submitting this post to Ayeesha's Iftar Moments event.

Enjoy!

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