serves
4-6
prep
5 minutes
cook
35 minutes
difficulty
Easy
serves
4-6
people
preparation
5
minutes
cooking
35
minutes
difficulty
Easy
level
Ingredients
- ½ cup (150 ml) vegetable oil
- 3 tsp garlic paste
- 3 tsp ginger paste
- 4 bird’s eye chillies, sliced lengthwise
- 1 whole chicken (about 1 kg / 2 lb 3 oz), cut into 10 to 12 pieces and skin removed
- 2 tsp salt, or to taste
- 6 Roma tomatoes, seeded and roughly chopped
- 2 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
- 1 tsp ground coriander (coriander powder)
- 1 tsp ground cumin (cumin powder)
- 1½ tbsp full-fat yoghurt, lightly whisked
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- ½ tsp garam masala
- 2.5 cm (1inch) piece of ginger, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks
- ½ cup (8 g) coriander (cilantro) leaves and stems, finely chopped
Instructions
- In a large karahi (a thick, deep pot with handles on the side), skillet or wok, heat the oil until it begins to shimmer. Add the garlic paste and ginger paste and fry over medium-low heat for 30 seconds to 1 minute until the pastes stop smelling raw. Stir in the chillies and fry for a few more seconds.
- Increase the heat to medium-high and add the chicken and salt. Sear for 5 to 7 minutes, or until no longer pink. Add the tomatoes, chilli powder, coriander and cumin. Cook for 25 to 30 minutes, depending on the thickness of the pieces, stirring frequently to break down the tomatoes and until the chicken is cooked through. Make sure the chicken is coated well in the masala.
- Turn the heat to low and stir in the yoghurt. Remove the pot from the heat and dust the chicken with the pepper and garam masala. Garnish with the ginger and coriander (cilantro). For an authentic dining experience, enjoy it straight out of the karahi with a side of fresh roti or naan.
Recipe from by Maryam Jillani (Hardie Grant Books, HB $55). Photography by Sanjeev Thakur, Waleed Anwar and Insiya Syed.
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
