Chicken ghee roast
Mangalorean style, South Indian
Cuisine: Indian, No-vegetarian
Course: Main
Spice level: Medium to hot
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 1 hour 5 mins
Serves: 4
Ingredients
For the marination
o 600 gm breast fillet chicken, chopped into small pieces
o 1 tablespoon ginger and garlic paste mince or 1 inch of ginger peeled along with 5-6 garlic cloves, crushed in a grinder or food processor or manually by using a pestle and mortar
o 1/4 tablespoon Kashmiri mirch red chilli powder
o 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
o Generous pinch of black pepper powder
o Salt as per taste
o Juice of one lemon or one tablespoon of white wine vinegar
Other ingredients for the sauce:
o 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
o 1 or 2 tablespoons ghee or butter
o 3 onions sliced finely
o 1 teaspoon ginger and garlic paste or mince or 1/2 inch of ginger peeled along with 4 garlic cloves, crushed in a grinder or food processor or manually by using a pestle and mortar
o 2 fresh tomatoes, chopped or 200 ml of canned chopped tomatoes
o A few tablespoons of water
o 1 teaspoon brown sugar
o 1/4 teaspoon tamarind concentrate
o Coriander leaves for garnishing
o Spices:
o 1 teaspoon fennel seed powder
o 1/4 teaspoon black pepper powder
o 1 teaspoon coriander powder
o Pinch of nutmeg
o 1 teaspoon red chilli powder (optional)
o 1 teaspoon garam masala
o Whole spices:
o 1-2 Dried red chillies (optional)
o Curry leaves for garnishing
Method
Pre-preparation:
o Marinate the chicken with the ingredients under the chicken marination ingredients and leave in the fridge for minimum of 1 hour or overnight. Please add the salt and red chilli powder and lemon juice or vinegar first, give it a good mix and then add the rest of the ingredients.
o Slice the onions and keep aside.
o In case you are going to crush fresh ginger and garlic for the marination as well as the sauce, please peel, chop and crush the ginger and garlic (quantities mentioned in the ingredients list) in a food processor with a little water or just manually by using a pestle and mortar.
o In case you are using fresh tomatoes, chop them finely and keep aside.
Cooking process:
o Take a non-stick wide mouth pan or wok, add the oil and ghee and let it sizzle a bit. This should take less than a minute.
o Once the oil and ghee are hot, add the onions to it. Please fry the onions until they are a dark shade of brown. Be patient as this process can take up to 20-22 minutes. Also, do not burn them please! So, stir frequently on medium to high heat.
o Now, add ginger garlic paste mince and cook for a couple of minutes or until its raw smell vanishes. Add a tablespoon of water if you think the mixture is burning and stir frequently.
o At this stage, add all the powdered spices except garam masala, namely, nutmeg, coriander powder, Kashmiri mirch red chilli powder, fennel seeds powder and black pepper and fry them for few minutes with a tablespoon of water on low heat.
o Add the chopped tomatoes and cook them till they are mushy and soft on low to medium heat. You can add a generous pinch of salt and now cover it for 6-7 minutes. Do stir occasionally.
o Add the tamarind concentrate and give it a good stir. Don’t forget you are still on low heat.
o Now add the marinated chicken and stir it well into the sauce, coating every piece and cook the mixture on high heat for 2-3 minutes.
o Reduce the heat to low, add a couple of tablespoons of water, salt and cover the pan with a lid.
o Occasionally stir it and continue to cook until all the water is evaporated and there is oil on the surface of the pan This should take approximately 15 minutes. Stir occasionally.
o Add the brown sugar and mix well. Check seasoning.
o Turn off the hob.
o Add garam masala and fresh coriander and curry leaves.
o Serve with rice, naan, freshly made wheat flour flatbreads and raitas!