Chicken Hariyali Curry

This recipe was recommended by Shraddha, a close friend of mine. We were neighbors when we were growing up and used to spend hours talking about school and boys and the world, when we were not playing badminton or dabdaispais (I feel like this must be the first attempt of someone spelling this word on the internet). Like most kids, we used to engage in things like writing cryptographic messages, having silly "passwords" and one thing that at the time seemed particularly appealing in its audacity... we used to throw and exchange food from our windows. Doing that successfully without a single adult noticing what we were upto used to give us a rush I suppose? I have no idea.

Fast forward to 2019 and we are still bonding over food but in a far more meaningful way. We both love cooking and baking and love trying out new things and pushing our limits. Last month we made garam masala from scratch (not together as we live on different continents). Last weekend I attempted a chicken curry recipe that Shraddha has been raving about. We had it with warm garlic naan and it was very tasty.

Based on this recipe from the Hindu.

You will need

For the marinade

yogurt                           2 tbsp
garam masala               1/2 tsp
red chilly powder         1/2 tsp
garlic, crushed              2-3 cloves
salt to taste                       

For the curry
chicken breast               1/2 lbs
onion, chopped             1 cup
cilantro                          half a bunch
mint                               4-5 springs (~20 leaves)
green chillies                 2
dry red chillies               2
full fat yogurt                1/2 cup
garam masala                1-2 tsp
salt to taste 



Method

1. Chop the chicken. Mix the ingredients for the marinade, add the chicken to it. Make sure all the pieces are coated well with the marinade. Marinate for at least a few hours. I did it for 24 hours and the chicken really soaked in all the flavors.
2. In an electric blender, blend together the cilantro, mint, green chillies and dry red chillies. Set aside.
3. In a heated sauté pan, fry the chopped onion until it just starts browning.
4. Add the marinated chicken and sauté until it is mostly cooked.
5. Add the cilantro paste and let it cook for about 5-10 mins. Keep stirring occasionally.
6. Add a couple of spoonfuls of the hot gravy to the yogurt and mix well to temper it. Add the yogurt to the pan on low flame, mix well.
7. Add salt to your taste.

Serve with rice, naan or roti.