Chicken Curry

Its December and we are very near to roll up another year. The last leaf bid adieu to gorgeous autumn, bare and naked trees slowly embracing cold winter season. Each cycle of season changes, invokes myriad feelings. 

All shops and market places are decked up and looks absolutely festive and colorful these days. 

We have put up a Christmas tree just like every year. And it has lighted up our home with joy and contentment. Festivals revive our bonding with friends and family also. Live, Laugh and Love 💟😊

So, enjoy festivity and take time offs. We have another week of schooling and then we will be having Christmas holidays. Holidays makes me busy, yes you read it right. We have to plan to fill in our days with some activities or even a movie day out. We are looking forward to Star-Wars movie this December, let’s hope it doesn’t turn out to be a let-down for us.

Zara hat key! This is what my daughter told me when she did her tasting for this chicken curry recipe. Although she can’t pinpoint exact spices that went into making this chicken curry, but she liked the final product. Meanwhile, I was trying to figure out, how should I name this recipe but nothing came to my mind. 

Without adding up any further mysteries, I thought let me just put it as ‘Zara hat key’. We liked this as a leisurely paced Sunday lunch with warm paneer pulao/pilaf as accompaniment. This is from our kitchen to your world, presenting Zara hat key chicken curry.

Chicken Curry- Zara Hat Key

Recipe requirements

• Chicken – 1kg
• 4 medium size onions
• 4-5 garlic cloves
• ½ inch ginger
• 3-4 dry red pepper
• 1 medium size tomato
• 2-3 medium size potato cut into half

Seasonings

• ½ tsp of red pepper powder
• 1 tsp of Kashmiri red pepper powder
• 2 tsp of coriander powder
•  ½ tsp of cumin powder
• ¼ tsp of carom seeds
• 3-4 cloves
• 2-3 green cardamom
• 1 tsp of whole black pepper
• 1 tsp of Salt or as per taste
• 2-3 tsp of ghee
• ¼ cup of cooking oil

Method

• Wash and clean chicken pieces thoroughly. I have used chicken drumstick portions for this curry.
• In a food processor or mixer/grinder, grind onions, garlic, ginger, tomato and dry red pepper in to a smooth paste. It would be better if you soak dry red peppers in warm water for about 1 hr or till they swell and become soft.
• Now heat up a heavy bottomed fry pan, add cooking oil.
• Add in the prepared paste, add in salt, turmeric powder, red pepper powder, Kashmiri red pepper powder, cumin powder and coriander powder and keep on stir/fry for 10-15 mints at medium high flame.
• Meanwhile in a mortar/pestle, dry grind- carom seeds, cloves, cardamom, whole black pepper.
• Now add in cut potatoes to the above fried masala paste. Add the dry masala powder that you have prepared earlier in mortar and pestle now.
• Keep on stir/frying for about 8-10 mints more. Add in 2 cups of water. Preferably warm water.
•  Now cover the pan and let it cook. Lower the flame and let it slowly cook in its own juices and all spices for about 30 -35 mints or till all the chicken pieces turns soft and cooked through well.
• At the end add in ghee and mix well.

Happy Cooking Friends and Enjoy Festival Season 🙏