This family's favorite and staple dish is a typical recipe from my family since I remember. Chickens were homegrown and cooked in medicinal spices that we believe that cures common cold and gives strength to the body after a long day of work. It is to share with a big family! Homegrown free range chickens are so flavorful, and after you add the spices, you could add soup as much as you want and it used to be enough for everyone. I still remember those happy satisfying faces after enjoying it. This is not just a recipe but for me it has so much love, care, share and full of nostalgic memories that makes me happy and I still love to cook the way it was, so delicious even without use of onions and tomatoes.
Enjoy the video and I hope you try it one day. Subscribe if you like!
Cooking time 80 minutes
Serves 6
Ingredients
1.2 Kg Local Chicken (Free range)
4 tbsp Mustard Oil
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
½ tsp Turmeric powder
1 tsp Red Chili powder
1.5 tsp sea Salt / use to your taste
2 tbsp Basmati Rice / use available one
4 tbsp chopped spring Coriander
Water as per necessary
To Masala paste
1.5 tbsp Coriander seeds
1 tbsp Cumin seeds
1 Star Anis
1 inch Cinnamon stick
1 Cinnamon leaf
10 Cloves
10 Green Cardamom
5 large cloves of Garlic
1 inch large Ginger
8 small sized but spicy fresh Chilies / use to your taste
How to Make:
First soak Rice in water for a minimum of one hour.
To make the Masala heat a pan on low heat and dry roast the spices, Coriander seeds, Cumin seeds, Cloves, Green Cardamom, Cinnamon sticks, Star Anise 2 to 3 minutes until the spices are well heated it & dried.
Transfer to a Mortar and crush it until its powder, add in Garlic, Ginger and fresh Chilies, smash it until a paste, adding a touch of water, keep it aside.
Cut the Chicken into bite sized pieces or ask your butcher to do it for you, set aside.
Heat a pan on medium heat, add in 4 tbsp Mustard Oil, heat the Oil up, add in 1 tsp Cumin seeds, fry it until it's fragrant and brown.
Add in all chopped Chicken, wait for 3 to 4 minutes before mixing properly, meanwhile add in Turmeric and Red chili powder, 1 Cinnamon leaf breaking into half and Salt, mix them very well with the meat, fry the meat for 10 minutes or until it turns to a nice colour and fried properly on medium heat, during the frying time combine it a few times.
After the meat is well fried, add in Masala paste that you made earlier, combine it well and fry it for 2 minutes to cook the Masala.
Add in 600ml or 2.5 cups water, combine it again and bring it up to boil on high heat, after it boils it, mix it again, lid on, turn heat to low, cook it for 50 minutes to 1 hour.
Meanwhile grind soaked Rice to a paste with adding water about ¼ cups. And chop spring Coriander.
After 50 minutes, lid off, combine it well, add in the Grinded Rice liquid plus 400ml of Water, combine it well again then boil it for 10 minutes on low heat.
After 10 minutes, mix lightly, taste, adjust salt if needed. Finally season with chopped coriander and a few pinches of grated Nutmeg and combine it very well and it’s done.
Serve hot with warm Rice.
Note
Free range chicken’s meat is quite tough so it takes a while to get tender, if you are cooking soft type then just cook for 20 minutes on medium heat.
If you want more gravy, add in more water and just adjust the Salt to your taste before finishing cooking.
