Wednesday 2 November 2011

Microwave Chicken Curry

I have a sister in Hongkong who hankers for home-cooking. It’s not as if she cannot rustle up a gourmet Indian meal, but that she finds the whole process from chopping to searing very tedious indeed. And the mountains of receptacles piling up in the kitchen sink cause her to wrinkle her Grecian nose in despair. The better alternative is to eat out – and that is what she does, most of the time.
On her pre Diwali visit home, she asked me, a trifle tentatively, if there was some way in which she could put her microwave to better use than just warming up the victuals. This recipe is for her!
Ingredients
Chicken 500g
Yoghurt ½ cup (after hanging to drain out some of the liquid)
Oil 1 tablespoon
Ginger- Garlic paste 1½ tablespoons
Green chillie paste, to taste
Salt
Chillie powder
Onions chopped, 100g
Tomatoes chopped, 1 large
Turmeric ½ teaspoon
Garam Masala ½ teaspoon
Coriander powder 1 teaspoon
Kasoori methi 1 tablespoon, optional
Coriander leaves, chopped, to garnish
Modus Operandi
1.       Marinate chicken in yoghurt, ginger-garlic paste, green chillie paste, salt and chillie powder for at least 2 hours or more.
2.       Heat oil in a microwave safe dish for 30 seconds. Remove.
3.       Add onions to hot oil and return to oven for about 2 minutes. Remove. Stir to mix. Return to oven for another 2 or 3 minutes. Remove
4.       Add tomato, turmeric, coriander powder, garam masala to the onions. Mix well. Return to oven for 4 minutes, removing to stir once in between. Remove.
5.       Mix in the marinated chicken along with the marinade. Coat well with the fried spices.
6.       Cover the dish with a perforated lid to prevent splattering and return to the oven for 8 minutes. Remove. Check to see if the chicken is tender. If not, return it to the oven for another couple of minutes before proceeding to the next step which is optional, but recommended.
7.       Stir in methi, and microwave for another one or two minutes.
8.       Serve, garnished with coriander leaves.
The gravy for this recipe is a fairly compact one. If runnier gravy is required, add a cup of water or buttermilk at the point where you check to see that the chicken is tender. Mix it in well, adjust the salt, and return to the oven for 2 minutes or thereabouts to allow it to homogenize with the spices. Then proceed as directed.
Ren, I hope you actually do try this, after the trouble I have taken getting it across to you! This is for all the rest of you too, who balk at home cooking when the help is not around!

1 comment:

  1. Gonna try it Roma! The next time my maid is absconding!!!! Mamlu

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