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.

 

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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.

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• Yield: 2-3            Difficulty: Easy

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• 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.

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Notes:

• You can alternate steel bowl with aluminium foil.
• Alternate ghee (clarified butter) with butter.

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