INGREDIENTS
- 2 tablespoon grated ginger
- 10 flakes garlic (lasoon)(crushed)
- Salt To Taste
- 1 cup curd (dahi) or plain yogurt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 kilogram chicken
- 1 cup long grain rice
- 3/4th cup shelled peas
- 6 bay leaves (tej patta)
- 1 cup ghee
- 2 large onions (finely chopped)
- 225 grams tomatoes (peeled & sliced)
- 2 cups hot water
- 3 tablespoon chopped coriander (dhania)leaves
Spices
- 2 teaspoon garam masala powder
- 1 tablespoon turmeric (haldi) powder
- 8 cloves (lavang)
- 6 black peppercorns
- 1 brown cardamom (elaichi)
- 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
- 1 tablespoon roasted coriander (dhania)powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin (jeera) seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon saffron (kesar)strands
METHOD
- Mix three-quarter of garlic (lasoon) with half the ginger, half the garam masala, 1 tablespoon. Salt, 1/3rd of turmeric (haldi), half of curd (dahi) and the lemon juice and mix to paste.
- Make small cuts in the chicken flesh and rub the paste all over and in the cavity.
- Keep aside for 2 hours.
- Half cook the rice with peas, remaining garlic (lasoon), 4 cloves (lavang), peppercorns, 1/2 teaspoon. Salt, brown cardamom (elaichi) and 4 bay leaves (tej patta) and water and use to stuff chicken.
- Heat the ghee in saucepan and fry the chicken until brown all over, being careful not to let the stuffing out.
- Drain the chicken.
- In another pan fry half onions in the remaining ghee with 2 bay leaves (tej patta), remaining cloves (lavang) and green cardamom (elaichi)s, until golden.
- Add the remaining turmeric (haldi) and chilli powder.
- Make a paste grinding together the coriander (dhania)and cumin (jeera) seeds and the remaining onion and grated ginger.
- Cook, stir for 5-10 minutes, until the ghee starts to separate.
- Add the remaining curd (dahi), the tomato and 1/2 teaspoon. salt.
- Add the chicken to the pan and baste with the spice mixture.
- Pour over 300ml/ 11/4 cups of water, cover and cook in a moderately hot oven (200 degree centigrade, 400 degree Fahrenheit, gas mark 6) for 1 hour.
- Steep the saffron (kesar)in the remaining garam masala powder and coriander (dhania)leaves before serving murgh musallam.