Country style Chicken Curry

Hissshhhhh ..... I heard the pressure cooker whistle. I quickly ran to the kitchen. I had seen dad come home with a black plastic bag from the market ....It was Sunday morning and I knew it was chicken. Since morning, I had made a hundred trips to the kitchen to check on it. Other days I won't even buzz by the kitchen. I moved around my mom asking her a thousand questions about how and when the chicken curry would be ready.

I hanged around her till I irritated her .... she shooed me away like a little kitten and asked me to come only when I heard the pressure cooker whistle. So there I was ....

I got myself a small plate and a spoon and waited till I got a small piece of it. Mom opened the cooker .... hot steam gushed out it spreading the aroma of spices and chicken, the curry still boiling. I peeped into the cooker as mom moved the ladle trying to mix the gravy well. 'Can I get that piece to taste', I asked mom pointing at the leg piece. 'No, you will get it with rice during lunch, not now', mom said while she carefully put a small piece with a little gravy on my plate.

I was happy with whatever I got. I carried the plate carefully to my favorite spot. I sat their licking the gravy and waiting for the tiny piece of chicken to cool down.

This chicken curry is my mom's recipe. A simple country style chicken curry without any frills.

Preparation Time - 45 minutes

Serves - 3

Ingredients

Chicken Legs - 6

Chopped Onions - 5 cups (loosely packed)

Garlic Cloves - 5

Ginger - 1 inch

Chopped Tomatoes - 2 cups

Whole Cinnamon - 2 inches

Whole Cardamom - 4

Whole black pepper - 10

Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp

Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp

Red Chili Powder - 1 tsp

Chicken Masala - 1 tbsp

Salt per taste

Mustard oil for cooking

Method of Preparation

1 Wash the chicken pieces and keep aside. I have used leg pieces but you can use chicken thigh or breasts with bones

2 Finely chop onions. Crush the garlic cloves and ginger using a mortar and pestle. Chop tomatoes

3 Pour about 2 tbsp of mustard oil into the pressure cooker. When warm add all the whole garam masalas (cinnamon + cardamom + black pepper) along with cumin seeds.

4 Now add the chopped onions to it and mix well. Fry the onions till they look translucent. Add the crushed garlic and ginger and mix well.

5 Add a little salt, turmeric powder and red chili powder to it. Mix well and keep stirring till the masala starts getting pulpy.

6 Add the tomatoes now. Mix well and fry till the tomatoes are soft and the masala gets 3/4 th cooked.

7 Now add the chicken legs and stirr to coat them with the masala. Keep stirring else the masala will stick to the bottom of the cooker. Continue to do this till the masala is completely cooked.

8 Mix the Chicken Masala with a little water to make a paste. Pour it on the chicken and mix well. Stir for some more time.

9 Add about 4 cups of water to the masala. Add salt again per taste.

10 Close the lid of the cooker and cook till one whistle.

11 Open the cooker after it cools down. If you want the gravy to be thicker cook for some more time to let the excess water evaporate.

12 Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Serving Tips

Serve warm with Rice or any Indian flat bread.

Variation

You can use vegetable oil or Canola oil instead of Mustard oil for cooking. Use your choice of chicken pieces. You can use any store bought chicken masala powder.

Other Names

Cinnamon - Dalchini, Cardamom - Elaichi, Cummin - Jeera,

Sending this to Divya's 'Show me the Curry'