Easy Peacy Chicken Curry

I suck at making Indian food. I have taken this liking towards conti cooking and baking and the sauces and filling options available here make it even better. When it comes to making Indian dishes, I'm a big flop. I cant even make a normal chicken curry taste good, and I have no clue where i go wrong. This is the recipe i stick to when i have a craving for chicken curry. Whatever new recipes i try, it all ends up looking and tasting the same to me. I didn't bother posting this till now, because i keep forgetting what to add or how much to add and end up with pathetic results. The last time i made this curry, it turned out good and i decided i had to note it down somewhere, and hence this post (curry) in a hurry :)

Chicken- 1 kg, with bone (I used thighs)

To marinate:

Kashmiri chilli powder- 3tsp

Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp

Dark Soy Sauce- 1 tbsp

Cumin powder- 1/4 tsp

Coriander powder- 1 1/2 tbsp

Cinnamon- 1, 1" piece

Cloves-5

Cardamom- 4

Coriander leaves- a handful

Ginger garlic paste- 2 tbsp

Pepper powder- 1 tbsp

Salt- to taste

Onions- 1 large, roughly chopped

Tomato- 1, roughly sliced

Curry leaves- a sprig

Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp

Oil- 2 tbsp

Grind all the above mentioned ingredients together and marinate the cleaned chicken pieces for a minimum of 2 hours. Make slashes on the chicken pieces so that the marinade seeps through and the flavours are absorbed.

In a pressure cooker, heat the oil and splutter mustard seeds.

Throw in the curry leaves and onions and sautee till soft.

Add the tomato and sautee well on medium fire till the oil starts separating.

Add the marinated chicken and stir fry on high heat for a couple of minutes.

Reduce the heat to medium and add the left over marinade, if any, mix well and pour about 1/2 cup water. Cover and cook till the third whistle.

Remove from fire and wait for the pressure to release on its own. Open the lid and check salt, spice etc. and add if required. If the gravy is not thick, you can put it back on the hob top and boil till u get a thick gravy. I usually avoid this.

If you need a roast-like prep, in a frying pan heat some more oil and sautee the chicken slices with the gravy till they become semi-gravy like, and coated with the masala.

Serve with rice, roti or even bread.

This is another chicken-roast recipe, a favourite of mine.

Notes: The cooking time was half an hour and i love the pressure cooker for making this easy. You can also do the same in a Kadai, just that cooking time will be more. I'm sure it yields the same result.