Chicken Ginger

A Pakistani restaurant favorite. Salim's go to order when we go out to eat Pakistani food, and I'll always order kebabs to go with. A marriage made in heaven? I like to think so.

I learnt this recipe a few years ago from our cook in the Services Mess. My father served in the army, and in the various postings he had, the food at the services mess always brings back the best memories. This chicken ginger is one of them and I'm so happy I got to learn it before I got married, as it happens to be one of Salim's favorites.

I am sharing it in the hopes you also try it out. It is not very spicy, but you can add green chilies to it to add to the spice.

Chicken Ginger

Ingredients

Serves 4-5

• 1.5 lb's of chicken breast into bite sized pieces

• 1 onion

• 2 roma tomatoes

• 1 tbsp of garlic paste

• 1 tbsp of ginger paste

• 1/2 tsp of red chili powder

• 1/2 tsp of turmeric

• 1/2 tsp of cumin powder

• 1/2 tsp of coriander powder

• 1/4th tsp of white pepper

• 1/2 tsp of Kashmir lal mirch (optional)

• 1 tsp of salt

• 1/2 tsp of fresh cracked pepper

• 6 tbsp of oil

• 1/2 a cup of full fat yogurt

• 4 tbsp of heavy cream

• 1 inch of julienne cut ginger

• Handful of chopped cilantro

• Chopped green chilies

• 1/4th tsp of Garam Masala

Directions:

1. Once the chicken is cut in to small pieces, soak the bite sized pieces in a bowl of water. the will loosen up the fibers. this will ensure the chicken isn't tough to eat. soak for about 10 minutes and drain the chicken.

2. Blend the onion and the tomatoes with a little bit of water till a paste is formed.

3. Over medium high heat, in a large pot add in the chicken, the onion tomato mixture and the ginger garlic paste. Cook covered for 15 minutes adding no water to the pot.

4. After 15 minutes, add in all the spices labelled till "oil". Crank the heat up and let the water evaporate and the spices cook through.

5. Once you're left with a thick masala, pour in the oil, the yogurt and cream. Stir and cook for about 5-8 minutes. You should see the oil starting to seep through.

6. At this point when the oil has separated add in 1/2 of the ginger and 1/2 of the cilantro as well as the green chilies.

7. Cover the pot and lower the heat to the lowest setting for about 5 minutes.

8. Spoon out the delicious curry, sprinkle the remaining cilantro and ginger, and add the Garam Masala.

9. Serve hot with naan, chapati or boiled rice.

Notes:

1. This dish is made best with chicken breast, but you can absolutely make it with chicken thigh for more flavor. ( I'm partial to using chicken breast)

2. If you're trying to keep the spice level low, you can add paprika or Kashmiri lal mirch to give that rich color to the dish.

3. A great tip from my grandmother is when you make a chicken ginger, cook with half of the ginger you'd use to garnish in the last 10 minutes to give maximum flavor.

4. This dish freezes great, and you can double the recipe if need be.