Friday, December 18, 2009

Methi Chicken

This is another one of Ashok's big sellers. It's not a curry, really... it's more like a stew with a deep green, kelp-like colour that results from the main spice, dried methi (fenugreek leaves).

Here, as in the chili chicken, he uses chicken thighs. I can tell you second hand that the chicken thighs are very laborious to prepare... I'm sure I'll be able to speak from firsthand experience in the future.

It starts off with a bunch of oil in a hot pot (we use the large skillet because it's made in 35kg quantities). A couple bay leaves are thrown in, followed by minced garlic. The garlic was more or less burned. I'm not sure if this was a mistake or if it's done on purpose, as I have an authentic Indian recipe for "Dal Tarka" that specifically tells you to burn the garlic. Then a bunch of cumin seeds are added, a whole bunch of crumbled dried methi, coriander powder, cumin powder, mustard seeds, pepper, and salt. After a minute, he added some onion sauce and "butter chicken" (aka his special tomato) sauce - both of which I've mentioned in previous posts. Some water was added, the raw (unseasoned) chicken thighs tossed in, and the heat cranked a rolling simmer where it remained until the meat was cooked through. Finally, some lime juice was added and the salt was adjusted.