mausis Murgh Masala, aromatic but not spicy

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 ½ kg chicken thighs, without skin and fat or 800 g chicken meat
• 2 tsp cumin, ground
• 2 tsp coriander powder
• 2 tsp garam masala or curry powder
• ¼ tsp turmeric or saffron powder
• 3 onions
• 2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
• 5 cm ginger root, roughly chopped
• 2 tomatoes, very ripe, peeled, chopped
• 3 tbsp oil
• 5 cloves
• 8 cardamom pods or 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
• 5 cm cinnamon stick or 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
• 15 curry leaves, dried, slightly crushed
• 150 ml natural yogurt

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 1 hour 30 minutes

tender chicken in delicious sauce

Mix the cumin, coriander, garam masala, and turmeric. Rub the mixture into the meat. Peel the onions, roughly chop one onion, and finely chop the other two. Blend the coarsely diced onions, garlic, ginger, and tomatoes into a paste in a blender, or chop very finely and mix. Heat the oil in a suitable saucepan and fry the finely chopped onions, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, and curry leaves until the onions are lightly browned. Add the paste and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Season with salt and stir in the yogurt. Add the marinated chicken and bring everything to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat for 60 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. If the sauce is too thin, simmer uncovered for a few more minutes. Season with salt. Because Murgh Masala is easy to prepare in advance, it’s ideal for entertaining. Then it should only simmer for 45 minutes instead of 60. Let the dish cool in the pot and then refrigerate overnight. The meat will marinate nicely in the sauce. Reheat the next day and simmer for another 15 minutes. And now, as described above: If the sauce is too thin, let it simmer uncovered for a few more minutes. Season with salt. Serve with fresh, warm naan bread or basmati rice. The curry leaves will soften during cooking and can be eaten. If you don’t have any leaves on hand, you can substitute curry powder for them. I discovered the original recipe in a magazine and have modified it several times to suit our taste.