Ingredients
- 1 kg, chicken, pieces medium (alternative meat: mutton or lamb)
- 1 cup, chana dal, (Bengal gram)
- 2, tomatoes, large, chopped
- 2, onions, large, finely sliced
- 2 tsp, ginger and garlic, paste
- ½ tsp, turmeric
- 2tsp, red chilly, powder
- 2 tsp, coriander, powder
- 1 tsp, cumin, powder
- 4, green chillies, chopped
- ¾ tsp, garam masala, powder
- 3tbsp, tamarind pulp water
- 5, red chillies, full
- 1 tbsp, ginger, cut into fine julienne (for garnishing)
- ¼ tsp, shah jeera (caraway seeds)
- 6-7, garlic cloves, crushed
- ¼ tsp, cumin seeds
- 10-15, curry leave
- 2 tbsp, coriander leaves, finely chopped (for garnishing)
- 3 tbsps. Oil / ghee
- salt, as per taste
Method
Soak a small ball of tamarind in one glass of hot water and keep aside. Wash and soak the channa dal for an hour, then boil. Mash the boiled dal and keep aside. Cut and wash the chicken. Apply 1 teaspoon of ginger and garlic paste and ½ tsp turmeric powder, and keep aside.
Now take a wok add 1 tbsp oil or ghee. When warm, add green chillies and onions. When the onions have turned slightly brown, add tomatoes and salt. Cover and cook till soft. Then add the coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder, red chillies powder, garam masala powder and mix well. Again, cover the pan for five minutes. After this, add the marinated chicken and mix well. Cover the pan with a lid until the chicken is cooked. Once the chicken is done, add the cooked and mashed channa dal and mix well. If needed, add some water and give a boil.
In a separate pan, add the remaining ghee or oil. When warm, add the full red chillies, crushed garlic, curry leaves, cumin seeds, shah jeera (caraway seeds). Add this to the chicken and dal curry and finally garnish with ginger julienne and coriander leaves.
