Ingredients
- Chicken – 8-10 medium sized pieces – 1 kg
- Onions – 3 large - chopped
- Tomatoes – 1 cup fresh puree
- Ginger/Garlic – 1 tsp heaped.
- Potatoes – 3 medium sized – medium diced
- Oil – 4 tbsp
- Cinnamon – 3 1 inch sticks
- Black Cardamom – 2-3 whole
- Cloves – 5-6 whole
- Cumin seeds– 1 tsp heaped – lightly crushed in pestle mortar (I dry roast my cumin seeds)
- Coriander seeds– 1 tsp heaped – lightly crushed in pestle mortar (I dry roast my coriander seeds)
- Chili powder – ½ tsp
- Coriander powder – 1 tsp
- Turmeric – ¼ tsp
- Salt – 1 tsp – adjust to taste if needed more.
- Water - 3 cups.
- Roasted Cumin seeds – ½ tsp crushed for dusting on curry
- Fresh Coriander – chopped handful for garnish.
Method
- On average heat, warm the oil in a pressure cooker and quietly fry the onions. A pressure cooker saves time in breaking down the onions in to a paste. just the once the onions are lightly browned, put in a cup of water and give it a strain for 5 mints.
- The similar can be done without a pressure cooker as well but it will take more than 30 mints. The water is added in interval to break down the onions. Then it is dried up, onions are mashed up and then the procedure is repeat once more till the caramelized onion paste is formed.
- Going back to the pressure cooking: Once the pressure is done, add whole cloves, cinnamon & cardamom to the water and onions mixture. Dry the water completely and mash the onions till it becomes a paste.
- Now add chicken, tomato paste, ginger/garlic paste, dried coriander seeds, dried cumin seeds, salt, chili powder, coriander powder & turmeric to the onion paste.
- Cook on medium heat for 5-8 mints till the chicken changes its color and the liquid from tomato smash dries up. The oil should separate from the gravy.
- Now add diced potatoes and cook further for 2-3 minutes on medium heat. Don’t let the onion paste burn.
- Add 2 cups of water to the mixture. Mix and let it boil on a high heat. Once boiled, decrease the heat to a gentle simmer(cover the pan) and cook for 25 mints till potatoes are thoroughly cooked, curry has thickened and the oil starts floating on the top of the curry. If the curry has thickened too much for your flavor then add ½ cup of hot water and let it simmer for 2-3 mints.
- I love to add a dusting of roasted & crushed cumin seeds on the curry along with fresh chopped coriander leaves before serving.
