RAJASTHANI LAAL MAAS CHICKEN CURRY

Laal Maas Curry, traditionally made out of mutton (but also been prepared with chicken), is an authentic Rajasthani dish pretty much hot and spicy in nature as the name suggest (Laal Maas means Red Hot) and is served along with roti or rice varieties. Since I’m not a big fan of mutton, I decided to try it with the chicken and the same ingredients and the processes.

Ingredients:-

1. Chicken – ½ Kg, Medium size pieces

2. Onion – 2 nos., thinly sliced & grinded to paste

3. Ginger-garlic paste – 4-5 tsp.

4. Garlic – 5-6 pods, chopped

5. Red chili powder – 2-3 tsp. (adjust according to your spice level)

6. Turmeric powder – 1 tsp.

7. Coriander powder – 2-3 tsp.

8. Bay leaf – 1 no.

9. Green cardamom – 2 nos.

10. Black / Bengal cardamom -1 no.

11. Cinnamon stick – 2” long

12. Cloves – 3-4nos.

13. Curd – ½ cup

14. Lemon juice – 1 tsp.

15. Oil – 6-8 tbsp.

16. Salt – to taste

17. Coriander Leaves – a handful, Chopped

Method:-

1. Wash and pat dry the chicken pieces. Marinate it with 1 tsp. ginger-garlic paste, red chili powder, salt, 1 tsp. yogurt, and lemon juice. Mix well and keep it for 1 hour.

2. Heat oil in a deep thick bottom pan. Add onion paste and cook until it becomes slight brown in colour. (N.B: continuously saute to prevent it from sticking to bottom of pan and get burned)

3. Then add bay leaf, black & green cardamom, cinnamon and cloves, and saute it for 1-2 min.

4. Now add marinated chicken pieces (save the extra marinade mix) and stir cook the chicken pieces on high flame for 2-3 minutes.

5. Make a paste by mixing ginger- garlic paste, red chili powder, turmeric powder, and coriander powder in a bowl and add it to the pan along with extra marinade mix and needed salt. Cook till the oil separates.

6. Add 1 cup of water and cover with a lid and cook for 15-20 minutes on medium flame until the chicken is done and flesh almost coming off the bones. Then boil it uncovered to get the desired consistency of gravy.

7. Now add garam masala powder, whisked curd, and chopped garlic and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Switch off the flame and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

8. Your Rajasthani Laal Maas Chicken Curry is ready to serve hot with Roti, Naan or Rice.

Notes:-
- Use Kashmiri red chili powder if you are of low spice tolerance. I used Kashmiri Chili powder.