Lion's Den Chicken

                               Lion’s Den Chicken

I still remember the day when my mom asked me to cook chicken. That was my first attempt at cooking and that too non-vegetarian. Since then I have tried several recipes. Some were good and some not. But, this recipe is different or I should better say this is my signature dish. I have got the maximum appreciation for this dish. Let’s not go into the story behind the peculiar name of the dish. The taste of lion’s den chicken is somewhat similar to the chicken kassa. So you can call it chicken kassa instead of the name which I or rather my friends in my under graduation college gave it.

Enough of the nostalgia stuff. Let’s move on to the ingredients.

Ingredients (For 1 Kg Chicken):

• 1 Kg Chicken (Medium sized Piece). Wash the chicken properly. Put in some turmeric powder while washing. It will help in cleaning the chicken properly.

• 500-600 grams of onions finely chopped.

• Green chilies (as much as you can resist).

• Ginger-Garlic paste (4 teaspoons).

• 3 medium sized tomatoes finely chopped.

• 3 sachets or 6 teaspoons of ready-made Meat masala powder from Everest, MDH, Catch or any other good brand. I usually prefer the meat masala from Everest as it tastes better than any other brand.

• Mustard oil (a bit on the higher side). Please don’t use refined oil or ghee because it will not taste the same.

• Salt to taste.

• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder.

• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds.

Note: Please use a pressure cooker for cooking this dish. You don’t have to pressure cook the chicken, but cooker gives concentrated heat while you saute the chicken.

Procedure:

• Heat a pressure cooker properly. It will take a bit more time to heat than the normal frying pan.

Make sure that the pressure cooker has a thick base

• Pour mustard oil in it. You have to add 2-3 spoons of oil more than what you generally use.

Little bit of extra oil will not hurt!!

• Add cumin seeds when oil gets heated properly.

• When cumin seeds start to pop, add chopped onions to it.

• Add salt to taste, since we will not be adding salt further so quantity should be for the whole dish.

Add little less salt ass you generally do.

• Saute the onions for some time. Soon the color of onion will change.

• Take green chilies as per your taste. Vertically cut green chilies into halves. And mix well with frying onions.

• When onions turn dark brown, add the ginger garlic paste to it.

Remember the color. "Dark Brown".

Add ginger garlic paste. Little bit on higher side!!

• Mix it well and saute for 5 to 10 minutes.

• Now add chopped tomatoes in it. Saute it until the tomatoes are fully cooked.

2-3 medium sized tomatoes will do.

• Soak meat masala powder in half cup of water. Add it to the cooker.

Remember the name. Everest Meat Masala!!

• Lower down the flame. Cover the cooker with a lid and let the mixture cook. Remember, we don’t have to pressure cook this.

• Check in interval of 5-10 minutes. Please note that the mixture should not stick to the base. Keep an eye on that.

• When the mixture changes its color to light brown then you will see oil getting separated.

• Add chicken into this. Add 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder.

Mix it well and cover with  a lid.

• Cover with the lid and let it cook on low flame.

• Keep mixing in the interval of 5-10 minutes.

• After 30-40 minutes you will find that oil is getting separated. Check the chicken now. It should be tender by now.

• You will see the chicken will have a very thick curry. If not, cook it on a higher flame to get rid of excess gravy.

Note: - Patience is the key to this dish. It has to be cooked in low flame otherwise it will not taste like it should be.

Well Well!! Lion'd den chicken for you people.

                                     

                          Enjoy this with Hot Tawa Roti. You will thank me laterJ

Credits:

Pic Courtesy:  Utkarsh aka CHAK

Editing: Sujit