Hyderbadi Chicken

A video recipe from SBS Food Safari TV show.

Ingredients

1kg chicken thigh fillets
Heaped tablespoon white sesame seeds
50g peanuts
1 onion, sliced
4 tbs oil
2 pinches of salt
1 tbsp each of ginger and crushed garlic
1½ tbsp crushed green chilli
Pinch turmeric
1 tbsp dried chilli
Salt
1½ cups yoghurt
1 tsp garam masala
¼ tsp black cumin seeds
1 tbs lemon juice

Directions

Cut chicken thigh fillets into large cubes. Don’t remove fat, remember fat will keep it moist.

In a pan, roast the white sesame seeds and peanuts. Grind them to a paste. Mix with a little milk to make a thick paste. This will thicken and bind the sauce.

The trick is to cook the onions right. Cook them in the oil with salt (salt will prevent the onions from burning) until caramelised and golden brown about 5 minutes. Set aside.

Combine ginger, garlic, crushed chilli, pinch of salt, turmeric, peanut paste, yoghurt, garam masala and cumin seeds. The acidity of the yoghurt will help to tenderise the chicken. Mix together and add cooked onions.

Add chicken cubes and marinate for 10 minutes (no longer – these are powerful spices and the acidity will draw too much moisture from chicken).

Using a thick-bottomed pot. Put the chicken and the marinade into the pot and then sit a large stainless steel bowl into the top of the pot so that it seals around the rim. The heat will create suction and hold the bowl in place and this steams the dish similar to a pressure cooker. Fill the bowl with 1/4 cup (maximum) of water and cook over medium heat for 30 – 40 minutes. When the water has evaporated you’ll know it’s cooked.

As it cooks in its own juices it’s amazingly tender – like it’s been steamed but with all those great flavours. Just before serving add the lemon juice.