Chicken
(Kukhra Alainchi Sanga)
Burma ( Gurkha )
Serves 8
Divide everything by 2 for a standard meal - but keep the cooking
times the same - and if you do scale down the quantities just keep an eye
on the dish that it does not burn.
2Kg / 41/2Lb Skinned and boneless chicken
meat
chopped into small pieces or cubes
200g / 7oz Onion, peeled and chopped
250ml / 1/2 pint Natural yoghurt
125ml / 4floz Vegetable oil
5g / 1tsp Cardamom seeds, freshly ground
25g / 2tbsp Ginger, grated or finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
5g / 1tsp fennel seeds, freshly ground
3g / 1/2tsp Cayenne pepper
5g / 1tsp turmeric
7cm / 3in cinnamon stick
2 cloves
350ml / 12floz Cold water
Make a masala from the yoghurt, cardamom, chopped ginger, chopped garlic, fennel and cayenne by grinding the mixture into a smooth paste.
Sprinkle the meat with a little salt, then pour over the masala mixture, and allow to marinade for at least an hour, preferably longer.
Heat the oil in a large pan, until a slight blue haze can bee seen. Add the cinnamon (chopped/ground into fine pieces), the cloves and the onion pieces. Cook until the onion is golden brown.
Add the marinaded chicken pieces to the pan which should still have the onions, cloves and cinnamon, making sure that you get as much of the marinade in the pan as possible.
Put it back on a medium heat. Without stirring the mixture, you should see oil slowly rising to the surface. At this stage CAREFULLY add the cold water and bring the mixture back to the boil.
Cover the pan and simmer over a low heat until the chicken is cooked and tender. Stir occasionally.
Serve the chicken meat on a bed of rice and pour over the masala that is left behind in the pan.
The rice can be either plain, pilau or saffron. On the table add small serving bowls with individually contain chopped onions, chopped tomatoes, chopped cucumbers and chutney. This allows your diners to add the hot/cold selections from the bowls as they wish. This is also wonderful when served with nan bread or similar.