1Start by mixing onion and ginger garlic paste with some lemon juice, salt, pepper, and thick curd or Greek yogurt. Use this to marinate boneless cubes of chicken thigh for at least 1 hour.
2Dry roast red chilies, cashews, coriander, cumin, fennel, nutmeg, mace, and cardamom on low heat until aromatic. Cool and grind to a coarse powder.
3Heat oil in a heavy pan. Add the marinated chicken and cook on medium 4–5 minutes until the water releases and the chicken starts to bubble.
4Add the spice blend. Cook on low-medium, stirring often, until oil separates and the gravy thickens — about 10–12 minutes.
5Adjust salt and add a pinch of sugar to balance.
6Finish with a drizzle of fresh cream and chopped coriander. Serve hot with rotis.
Ingredients
500 g boneless chicken thigh, cubed
0.5 cup onion paste (1 medium onion, blended)
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
0.5 cup thick Greek yogurt or thick curd
0.75 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
5 -6 dry red chilies
15 g cashews (10–12)
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
0.25 tsp nutmeg
1 small blade of mace
2 green cardamom pods
1 tbsp oil or ghee
salt
sugar to taste
1.5 tbsp fresh cream
1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
Equipment
panheavy pan
Tips
Rest the marinated chicken for at least 30 minutes, or overnight for best results.
Cook the spice blend on low-medium heat, stirring often, until oil separates and the gravy thickens.