CHICKEN FRY IN EXTRA CHILI ,GARLIC AND TOMATO

These days I am cooking as usual but nothing worth a posting though...same old bit of this and that , boil, season or fry etc etc and the much fancied summer non-irritating dishes have become quite  irritating.

Yesterday I suddenly remembered a dish which is profoundly irritating to the mouth due to high presence of hot chili. Chili is not part of taste system ( like sweet, sour, salty and bitter). This is  basically a mouth irritant and gives a real kick to the people who like or dislike chili. Some people cant eat chili because of physical reaction like burning sensation, sullen mouth, watering eyes , running nose. People who cant eat chili, they dont really miss any thing as long as food flavor is concern. Flavor reminds me of its famous definition which I had learnt in my food technology and Bio chem engineering paper. Flavor means the combined effect of smell and taste in a food. The brain remembers millions of combinations of taste and smell. Imagine you ordered your favorite dish and you cant get the smell because of choked nose. You can get the taste only ..similarly if you have temporarily lost your taste sensation ( very rare though) you get the smell only. In both the cases you dont get the flavor..and the dish is really bad to eat...

THE RECIPE

This is a simple recipe I had learnt many years back from my friend when she had called us for diner. I haven't cooked it for many years now. Only variation I did, was adding some Curry leaves...was tempted to put Kokum ( Nowadays I am in the grip of southern spicing system) but will try next time. It will have that real fried garlic aroma and pretty stiff on chili with a roasted powder of panch PhoDon and red chili to finish.

Ingredients

Chicken with bones 600-800 gms 

garlic 2 whole pods peeled and made into a paste.

chili powder 2 tsp.

Turmeric powder 1 tsp

Tomato blanched and pureed. 5 No ( off the rack puree will not be useful for the flavor) 

Curry leaves 10 No ( optional)

 Oil Mustard or any other oil ..6 tbsp ( 90  - 100ml)

Sugar 1 level tsp..( this is sugar to taste and not for sweetening) 

For the garnish

Roasted red chili 6 No

Panch PhoDon 1 tsp roasted and ground (,  if you dont have panch PhoDon, mix equal volume of  Methi, fennel, mustard and cumin and take one tsp of the mix.)

NOTE; You can use less chili..but at least use 2 roasted chili and some Kashmiri chili powder.

PROCESS

Heat oil and add garlic paste , lower flame and stir vigorously to a light brown tinge to garlic paste. If it sticks add 1 tbsp water and mix.

Add curry leaves ( optional)

Add paste of red chili and Turmeric stir for  1 minute or so

Add chicken sauté for 3-5 minutes.

Add salt and sugar

Add 50 to 75 ml of tomato puree and fry at high flame till the oil comes out 

Repeat the process with 50-75 ml of tomato puree.

CAUTION: For this recipe do not add all puree at a time. The flavor will be very different but good)

When all puree is added continue frying till the oil comes out and the gravy sticks to the chicken.

Add the garnish and mix. 

NOTE: Dont worry , the chicken will be done ..it takes chicken to become edible in 4-6 minutes of stir frying.

Eat with hot rice or paratha or Kulcha, toasted bread. 

VEGE OPTION: I have a good mind to try it with Yam Raw jack fruit, may be Paneer too.


AND FOR MY BLOG FRIENDS, GREAT BREAKFAST FROM KITCHEN GOSSIP.

Today  I got up and as usual, with eyes half open started reading the new blogs from the dash board. I read this recipe with eyes wide open, rushed to the kitchen, by-passed the fresh bread; pulled out the last piece from the old pack and made this. I think this is the 1st time I made some thing from the blog within one hour of its publication. While someone was enjoying the stupid germinated lentils etc, mango, carrot and cucumber I relished this one. I had some stale Parmigiano Reggiano which added to the taste too.

Please make this dish and enjoy 

The link is given below for the recipe.

How to use up Stale Bread – Part 1 from great Kanchan of  Kitchen gossip)