This is a typical Moghul (Northern Indian) dish, so it is delicately spiced and has a creamy sauce. The delicateness of the spicing comes from the use of cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon in contrast to a lot of coriander and cumin. The creaminess comes from the use of almond butter.
If you don’t have almond butter (as I didn’t) grind the almonds as finely as you can, so the sauce isn’t gritty.
Ingredients:
- One 3 pound chicken cut up into 8-10 serving pieces
- 1-1/2 tsp. lemon juice
- 2 tsps. salt
- 6 Tbsps. vegetable oil
- 3 Tbsps. slivered blanched almonds
- 2 cups finely chopped onions
- 1 Tbsp. finely chopped garlic
- 1 Tbsp. finely chopped ginger root
- 1 stick 4″ Indian cinnamon or 2″ stick Western cinnamon
- 4 black or 8 green cardamom pods
- 4 whole cloves
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 tsp. ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp. turmeric
- 1/2 tsp. red pepper or to taste
- 1 C. canned tomatoes, puréed or chopped
- 2-3 Tbsps. almond butter or finely ground almonds
- 2 Tbsps. chopped cilantro
Method:
1) Prick the chicken pieces with a fork and sprinkle them with the lemon juice and salt.
2) Fry the slivered almonds briefly in one tablespoon of oil, and set aside for garnish.
3) Measure out the spices.
4) Stir the onions in the remaining 5 Tbps. oil on medium-low heat until they begin to brown (this will take 10-15 minutes). Add the ginger and garlic, increase the heat, and stir for two minutes.
5) Add the whole spices (cardamom pods, cloves, cinnamon) and stir for two minutes.
6) Add the ground spices and stir for two minutes. Add the chicken, tomatoes and almond butter or ground almonds. Cook for 50 minutes or until the chicken is tender. Remove the whole spices.
7) Garnish with cilantro and the almond slices. Enjoy!
