First the son, then hubby dearest, and now the girl. Going abroad to study – and hence the revival of posts on this blog! This one is dedicated to the darling of the house – Ananya.
When Ananya came home after a month of roughing it out (and a daal chawal staple), and promptly went down with flu, she needed some heavy-duty spoiling – lots of chicken (soup, and other stuff) for the soul. So I got this recipe of Pepper Chicken from a cousin (a big shout out to Tinku di!), and fortunately it seemed to turn out to mademoiselle’s liking! It is not the usual spicy chicken that we make, but more subtle with a slightly sweetish taste to balance the pepper. So here goes this very easy but delicious recipe to pep you up when you are down!
Pepper Chicken
- 1/2 kg chicken – breast and legs, breast pieces cut into medium-big (2-2.5 inch) pieces
- 2-3 large onions, chopped into thin slices
- 2-3 tsp ginger paste
- 2 tsp garlic paste
- 4 tsp pepper
- whole garam masalas
- cloves – 4-5
- cinnamon – 1 inch piece
- small cardamom – 2
- big cardamom – 1
- sugar (1 tsp caramelised in oil + 1 tsp later)
- 2 tsp vinegar
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- salt to taste
- For marinade:
- 2 tsp vinegar
- 2-3 tsp pepper powder
- salt to taste
Prep: Wash the chicken pieces thoroughly by rubbing some lime and stab with a small knife. Marinate them in vinegar, salt and about 2 tsp pepper – rub the marinade in well. Keep in the fridge for 30 min to an hour, not more.
Method: Heat ghee in a kadai and add a tsp of sugar and caramelise it. Chuck in the bay leaves and whole garam masalas. When they are aromatic, add the sliced onions and fry till light golden and soft. You can add a bit of salt if needed. Add ginger-garlic paste and fry a bit more. Take care to see that the onion down’t become dark brown – it should remain light brown and soft.
Drop the marinated chicken pieces in and fry to brown them a bit. Once browned well, add the remaining pepper (3-4 tsp) and 1 tsp sugar. Cover and cook on the kadai, or chuck them into the pressure cooker and cook with a little bit of water added. After full pressure, put the gas on sim, let it stay for just 2 minutes, and then turn it off.
When the cooker cools, check to see if there is extra water – if yes, evaporate it off to make a dry-ish gravy. In the end, put 2 tsp of vinegar and 2 tsp of soy sauce, mix it in, and switch the gas off. Cover it and let it stay for 5-7 minutes.
Goes well with rice, I think, though some people say it is better with parathas… Either way, enjoy!!
Cookbook for the Kook 