Achari Chicken: Spicy Indian Curry

Monday, March 5, 2012, 15:00

Achari chicken has to be the hottest of the Indian chicken recipes by virtue of it's name. 'Achar' in Hindi means 'pickles' and Indian pickles are hot enough to release steam from your ears. So when pickling spices are used as the spices for chicken cooking in a gravy then the out come will be a very spicy curry. Achari chicken is basically a north Indian chicken recipe and thus the use of yoghurt in it is reminiscent of a rich Moghul tradition.

You must try this recipe for side dish only if your audience (that is the people whoa re going to eat this dish) can tolerate a spicy curry. Otherwise you will have to alter the amount of chillies (both whole and powder) mentioned here to make this Indian chicken recipe a little less hot.

Ingredients For Achari Chicken:

1. Chicken (with bones) 500 grams cut into medium sized pieces
2. Ginger garlic paste 2 tablespoons
3. Onion (large) 1 finely sliced
4. Tomato puree 2 tablespoons
5. Fenugreek (methi) seeds 1 teaspoon
6. Mustard (sarso) seeds 1 teaspoon
7. Cumin (jeera ) seeds 1 teaspoon
8. Fennel (saunf) seeds 1 teaspoon
9. Onions (kalaunji) seeds 1 teaspoon
10. Dry whole red chilies 4-6
11. Red chilli powder 2 teaspoons
12. Turmeric powder 1 teaspoon
13. Curd 1 bowl (beaten)
14. Mustard oil 2 tablespoons
15. Lemon juice 2 tablespoons
16. Salt as per taste

Procedure For Achari Chicken:

Marinate the chicken with lemon juice while you make the rest of the preparations to cook this dish.
Heat mustard oil (use white oil if you don't like the flavour) in a deep pan until it starts steaming. Season it with all the seeds mentioned here. Wait till the seeds start popping and then add the red chillies.
Saute the onions in this seasoned oil and when they start turning golden pour the ginger garlic paste.
Give it about 2 minutes to cook while you stir and then add the chicken pieces to the pan. Lower the flame and cook for 2-3 minutes so that the chicken gets a fried coating of golden.
Add the tomato puree now and also the salt so that the tomato gets digested. Add the powdered spices and add 2 cups of water.
Cover and cook on low flame for 7-10 minutes until the chicken pieces become cooked and look succulent.
At this point add the beaten curd slowly to the curry and keep stirring it in. It will thicken the curry immediately.
Give it another 2 to 3 minutes to simmer and then take it off the flame.

You can serve Achari Chicken as a side dish, garnished with chopped coriander leaves.