Murgh Masala

Murgh Masala with Jasmine Rice

I've been on an Indian food kick again, I can't help it, I love the cuisine, but while I truly love the food, it’s the preparation that goes into each dish that I really groove on. I enjoy the way each dish is built upon slowly, layer after layer with wonderful spices and aromatics. I love how precise the ingredients lists can be; 5 cloves, 10 peppercorns, 4 cardamom pods, 3 curry leaves, a 3-inch piece of ginger, etc. I've always wondered how that kind of specifics gets figured out, did someone use 11 peppercorns once and ruin a dish? tell me! I love how the flavors and textures of a dish can change drastically just by how you treat the spices that are going into the pot. Leave them whole or grind them, use the pods or just the seeds, toast the spices or use them as is, crush them chop them peel them crumble them lions and tigers and bears OH MY I love it all!

Those noises you heard the other night, the ones that sounded like grunting, chomping and lip smacking, that was Ellina enjoying her Murgh Masala. I couldn't cut the chicken fast enough for her and she gnawed on the bone until it was the size of a toothpick. The girl ate a whole chicken thigh, and this was AFTER she had eaten six raviolis for dinner. I am frightened by how much she can pack away! Anyway, she really liked the chicken and we did too, it was mild and creamy, the yoghurt having worked its magic by tenderizing the chicken so that it was tender and juicy-- this needed nothing more than a serving of fragrant jasmine rice or just some naan to mop up the sauce. What I really liked about this recipe was how easy it was to prepare, this recipe and the Saag Gosht I made the other night were well worth the time it took to assemble and cook them.

From “The Food of India” by Priya Wickramasinghe and Carol Selva Rajah.

Murgh Masala

This is a mild dish which originated in Northern India. Because of its subtle flavor, it is suitable for serving at any meal. A combination of tomatoes ginger and spices gives flavoring and the yoghurt enriches the sauce.

• 1.5 kg (3.3 pounds) skinless chicken thighs or chicken pieces
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1-1/2 teaspoons garam masala
• 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 5 cm (approx. 2-inches) piece of ginger, roughly chopped
• 2 very ripe tomatoes, chopped
• 3 tablepsoons oil or ghee
• 5 cloves
• 8 cardamom pods
• 5 cm (approx. 2-inches) piece of cinnamon stick
• 10 curry leaves
• 150 ml (little bit more than a half cup oops, I used a whole cup!) thick natural yoghurt

Trim off any excess fat or skin from the chicken. Mix the cumin, coriander, garam masala and turmeric together and rub it in the chicken.

Put half the onion with the garlic, ginger and chopped tomato in a food processor and blend to a smooth paste. If you don't have a blender, finely chop the ingredients and mix them together.

Heat the oil or ghee in a karhai or casserole over low heat, add the remaining onion, the cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, and curry leaves and fry until the oinion is golden brown. Add the tomato and onion paste and stir for 5 minutes. Season with salt, to taste. Add the spiced chicken, stir in the yoghurt and bring slowly to the boil.

Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 50 minutes or until the oil seperates from the sauce. Stir the ingredients occasionally to prevent the chicken from sticking. If the sauce is too thin, simmer for a couple of minutes with the lid off. Season with salt to taste.

Serves 4

Written by Deb on February 23, 2005 01:26 AM