This recipe brings chicken curry to the next level by using smoking (dhungar) technique. The chicken is cooked in cashew & dried red chilli paste.I love to cook,I dream about food; I really do. But then there are days when I run out of ideas on what to make for dinner. It makes me want to run away from all this and never come back.
On those days this Bohri-Style Smoked Chicken Gravy comes to my rescue. This smoked chicken is one of my best, quick and easiest chicken preparations. This is something I learned from my Mom-in-law. It’s my husband’s favorite as well. It’s a perfect comfort meal for such lazy days.
Bohra Cuisine chicken gravies are mostly cashew / almond based. Creamy cashews / almond add a velvety richness to this flavorful Bohra-Style Chicken Gravy. It compliments very well with chapati’s, naan or rice pulao. Smoking technique adds a unique delicious dimension! Usually as I cook, the irresistible aroma of this dish drives my hubby insanely impatient.
This chicken gravy is cooked with soaked dried red chilli , cashew paste & tomato ketchup. Hot ghee is poured on the hot charcoal, the resultant smoke gives the chicken a nice smoky flavor.
Just a few ingredients & you have a nutty and flavorfully spicy without being fiery hot, chicken gravy ready!
Here’s how you can make it too:
INGREDIENTS:
- 1.5 lb chicken thighs, cut in cubes
- 1/2 cup raw cashews
- 15-18 kashmiri dried red chilli (adjust tolerance)
- 1 tbsp garlic paste
- 1tbsp ginger paste
- 2 tbsp tomato ketchup
- 2 tsp ghee (clarified butter)
- 2 tbsp oil
- salt to taste
- 1 piece coal
(I forgot to add ginger garlic paste in the picture above)
METHOD:
- Soak Kashmiri dried red chillies in hot water for 30 minutes or until soft.
- Soak 1/2 cup cashews in 1 cup water for 15-20mins
- Marinate chicken with ginger, garlic paste & salt. For 25-30 minutes.
- After Kashmiri red chillies become soft. Discard the water. Break the chillies into half & remove the seeds from them. This will help the gravy to get a bright orange color without making it too spicy.
- Add cashews & dried red chillies in a blender, with 1 cup of water. (use the water we used for soaking cashews)
- Grind into a smooth paste.
- Heat oil in a pan on medium heat.
- Add the cashew chilli paste in oil. Be careful the paste might splutter.
- Keep steering & fry the cashew chili paste until oil oozes out from the sides. It might take around 5-6minutes.
- Add chicken in the pan, & mix it well with the gravy.
- Saute for for few minutes till chicken changes color.
- Lower the flame to low & cover the pan with a lid & let the chicken cook for 8-10 minutes. This will help chicken to cook in it’s own juices.
- Keep steering the gravy in between, to make sure it’s not burning.
- After cooking for 10 minutes, the gravy will become thinner.
- Add Tomato ketchup & mix it well into the gravy.
- Cook on low heat for 10 minutes more.
- Do not add water to the gravy yet.
- Keep a tight lid or aluminium foil handy.
- Meanwhile heat a piece of coal until red hot.
- Heat ghee (clarified butter) till smoking hot.
- Place a steel bowl in middle of the chicken gravy. Carefully place the red hot coal in the bowl with a steel tong, and pour smoking hot ghee (clarified butter) on top of the hot coal. Quickly cover the dish with aluminium foil or a lid so that minimum fumes escape.
- Leave the pan covered for 10 mins to get a deep intense smoked flavor to the chicken gravy.
- Very Carefully keep the steel bowl in the sink until it cools down.
- Mix the chicken gravy well. So that all the flavors blend in.
- At this point you can add water as per your desired thickness of the gravy. I added 1/2 cup as we like a thicker gravy.
- Let the gravy simmer for 5minutes.
- Garnish with cilantro & serve with hot chapati’s or naan.
Smoked Chicken Gravy (Bohra-Style)
This recipe brings chicken curry to the next level by using smoking (dhungar) technique. The chicken is cooked in cashew & dried red chilli paste.
- Yield: 2-3 Difficulty: Easy
- INGREDIENTS:
- 1lb chicken thighs, cut in cubes
- 1/2 cup raw cashews
- 15-18 kashmiri dried red chilli (adjust tolerance)
- 1 tbsp garlic paste
- 1tbsp ginger paste
- 2 tbsp tomato ketchup
- 2 tsp ghee (clarified butter)
- 2 tbsp oil
- salt to taste
- 1 piece coal
- METHOD:
- Soak Kashmiri dried red chillies in hot water for 30 mins or until soft.
- Soak 1/2 cup cashews in 1 cup water for 15-20 mins.
- Marinate chicken with ginger, garlic paste & salt. For 25-30 minutes.
- After Kashmiri red chillies become soft. Discard the water. Break the chillies into half & remove the seeds from them. This will help the gravy to get a bright orange color without making it too spicy.
- Add cashews & dried red chillies in a blender, with 1 cup of water. (use the water we used for soaking cashews)
- Grind into a smooth paste.
- Heat oil in a pan on medium heat.
- Add the cashew chilli paste in oil. Be careful the paste might splutter.
- Keep steering & fry the cashew chili paste until oil oozes out from the sides. It might take around 5-6minutes.
- Add chicken in the pan, & mix it well with the gravy.
- Saute for for few minutes till chicken changes color.
- Lower the flame to low & cover the pan with a lid & let the chicken cook for 8-10 minutes. This will help chicken to cook in it’s own juices.
- Keep steering the gravy in between, to make sure it’s not burning.
- After cooking for 10 minutes, the gravy will become thinner.
- Add Tomato ketchup & mix it well into the gravy.
- Cook on low heat for 10 minutes more.
- Do not add water to the gravy yet.
- Keep a tight lid or aluminium foil handy.
- Meanwhile heat a piece of coal until red hot.
- Heat ghee (clarified butter) till smoking hot.
- Place a steel bowl in middle of the chicken gravy. Carefully place the red hot coal in the bowl with a steel tong, and pour smoking hot ghee (clarified butter) on top of the hot coal. Quickly cover the dish with aluminium foil or a lid so that minimum fumes escape.
- Leave the pan covered for 10 mins to get a deep intense smoked flavor to the chicken gravy.
- Very Carefully keep the steel bowl in the sink until it cools down.
- Mix the chicken gravy well. So that all the flavors blend in.
- At this point you can add water as per your desired thickness of the gravy. I added 1/2 cup as we like a thicker gravy.
- Let the gravy simmer for 5minutes.
- Garnish with cilantro & serve with hot chapati’s or naan.
Notes:
- You can alternate steel bowl with aluminium foil.
- Alternate ghee (clarified butter) with butter.
Very good recipee and it tastes awesome !!!
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Thanks 😊
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It looks and sounds delicious, perfect for me, having the spicy without the heat ! I’m thoroughly impressed with the smoke flavoring method..
And tiny kitchen approved !
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Reblogged this on On the Road Cooking and commented:
This recipe has some really awesome methods, so much so, I had to reblog this 😄
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Thank you so much for the reblog dear! 😊 Means alot😘
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Pleasure is all mine.. Your instructions are easy to follow, pictures are wonderful and it sounds delicious, a complete package.. Had to reblog 😄
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Thank you Pan for such generous comments.. I’m honored 😊
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This is quite amazing …. I have never had a smoked curry gravy but I can see I need to try it – I love smoked tastes and I love rich almonds curries so I’m guessing this could be close tomHeaven for me! Thank you so much for following my blog. I hope I won’t disappoint you and look forward to seeing more of yours 😊
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