Dish of Chicken Curry Bhojpuri
(click to enlarge)

Chicken Curry Bhojpuri


India, Bihar in the Northeast
Serves:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 2-1/4 #
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1-1/3 hrs
Yes		 This delicious dark chicken curry was recently composed in the Bhojpuri region of Bihar, India - see Comments for details. Pair it with a deep red wine.

1-1/2
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1
1
2
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1-1/4
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1
6
1
1
1/4
1/4
3
1/3
1/2
1
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3
1
1
#
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t
t
t
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#
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t
cl
in

c
c
pod
t
t
t
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T
t
c
Chicken meat (1)
-- Marinade
Turmeric
Chili Powder (2)
Salt
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Onions
-- Masala
Coriander seed
Garlic
Ginger Root
Chili, Green (3)
Cilantro
Mint, fresh
Cardamom, green  
Pepper black
Turmeric
Chili Powder (2)
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Oil
Cumin seed
Broth (3)
PREP   -   (45 min)
  1. Cut CHICKEN into largish bite size pieces.
  2. Massage all Marinade items into the Chicken and set aside.
  3. Cut ONIONS in quarters lengthwise and slice crosswise fairly thin.
  4. Make Masala:   Grind Coriander. Chop GARLIC, GINGER, and CHILI small. Stem CILANTRO and MINT - measure is whole leaves moderately packed. Mix all Masala items and run to a paste in an Indian Mixie (best), Blender, Food Processor or Mortar, adding a little water as needed.
RUN   -   (1 hr)
  1. In a 3-1/2 qt sauté pan, coverable kadhai, or wok, heat Oil quite hot. Stir in Cumin Seeds until they are quite aromatic but not burned, then stir in Onions. Fry stirring over declining heat and with increasing stirring until the onions are uniformly golden. A little Salt sprinkled in with the Onions will help with even browning.
  2. Mix in the Masala and fry stirring over low heat for about 2 minutes.
  3. Stir in Chicken and fry stirring over moderate heat until it has completely lost its raw color.
  4. Stir in Broth, bring to a boil, cover and turn to a simmer until Chicken is tender.
  5. Serve hot with plenty of steamed Basmati Rice, Chipatis or other Roti, and with a Raita (cool Yogurt Salad) on the side.
NOTES:

  1. Chicken:

      Weight given is for skinless boneless chicken meat. I prefer thigh meat for best flavor and texture. In India, Chicken is usually stripped of skin and all removable fat (except for tandoor), but see Broth and Comments.

  2. Chili Powder

      For some, the Green Serrano combined with 1 t hot chili powder in two places may be too much. You may want to select a mild one like Kashmir or Aleppo Hot. For details see our Chili Powders / Flake page.

  3. Green Chili

      Availability of fresh Indian Chilis is quite uncertain, even here in Los Angeles, so we us Serranos as the go-to hot green chili. One Serrano makes this dish noticeably hot. Use your own best judgement. For details see our Indian Chilis page.

  4. Broth:

      When preparing to do a recipe like this I buy bone-in skin-on Chicken Thighs, then make a strong broth from the skin, bones, and fat to flavor the curry. The fat is removed with a gravy separator. There will be some left over for other uses.

  5. Comments:

      This recipe is based on one recently composed by Pallavi Nigam Sahay in the Bhojpuri region of Bihar India, which she named "Madhubani Chicken Curry". Mine is a little different in stepping and treatment of ingredients, so I don't use that name. She used 1kg (2 pounds 3 ounces) of whole bone-in chicken joints. From the recipe and photo it appears she used the chicken skin-on, unusual for India. I use skinless, boneless chunks of chicken thigh, which is more suitable for buffet service (and prevents family fights at the table). I add flavor with a strong Broth made from the skin, bones, and fat. You could also cut whole joints into smaller pieces using a sharp Chinese cleaver knife driven by a soft faced mallet.
  6. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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