Chicken ghee roast

....yes the name makes you gain at least 5 pounds and eating it makes you gain .. I don't know do the math ;)

That said, this is probably one of the yummiest chicken roasts I have ever had. I mean, how bad can it be? Its cooked in ghee and has the yummy flavours of garlic and tamarind and such. Once I made it, I just couldn't stop going back for more. I finally had to stash it away in the refrigerator, because otherwise dinner would have been love and fresh air.

This roast has made its way to my kitchen plenty of times and each time I think of taking pics so I can record my version on the blog, but there are usually no leftovers or very little, and its forgotten. This time I made it during the day so I could take pics before lighting became an issue. But as you can see from the pictures, lighting was an issue, and I hate the pics, but I am still going ahead and posting them here, because you guys deserve to know about this awesome dish. I chanced upon a gorgeous blog called Cherie's Stolen Recipes on one of my surfing sessions, and I'm in love with all those Mangalorean recipes she has posted. Have bookmarked quite a few and this is the first I'm trying. Thanks Charishma for the brilliant recipe. It sure is a keeper.

Now, before I go forth, I must admit that this is not the authentic way of making chicken ghee roast, which I believe is a Mangalorean speciality. I went ahead and took the easy lazy way out and made it to suit our taste (read, less spice). This is traditionally a very very spicy dish, oozing with ghee. As much as I love the ghee flavour, the quantity mentioned made me gasp, and so I have adjusted it without compromising too much on the taste. The ghee flavour was still prominent, but not in an over powering sort of way and needless to say, this is not a dish you can have on a regular basis. Indulging in it once in a while is absolutely forgiven (or to an extent encouraged) :)

Recipe adapted from here

Chicken- 500 gms (bone in pieces)

Lemon juice- from half a lemon (about 2 tsps)

Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp

Yoghurt- 3 tbsp

Salt- to taste

To grind

Kashmiri chilli powder- 2 tbsp

Dry red chillies- 2

Peppercorns- 1 tsp

Coriander seeds- 1/2 tbsp

Cumin seeds- 1/4 tsp

Fenugreek seeds- 1/4 tsp

Garlic-pods- 10, peeled

Tamarind paste- 1/2 tsp diluted in 1 tbsp water

Ghee- 4 tbsp (a little more than 1/4 cup)

Curry leaves- 2 sprigs

Coriander leaves- to garnish (optional)

Clean and cut the chicken into medium size pieces.

Marinate with lemon juice, turmeric powder, yoghurt and salt and keep aside for at least an hour or more (cover and refrigerate if marinating for more than an hour. I kept it over night)

While that's taken care of, dry roast the Kashmiri chilli powder, dry red chillies, peppercorns, coriander seeds, cumin seeds and fenugreek seeds for a couple of minutes, just to get the aromas going. Take care not to burn them.

Grind this along with the garlic pods and tamarind (with the water) to a smooth paste.

When ready to cook, place a heavy bottomed pan on medium heat and add 2 tbsps of the ghee.

Once hot, add the marinated chicken and cook till 3/4th done. Toss it around a bit so it gets cooked more or less evenly.

Once done, transfer the cooked chicken and the juices released to a separate bowl.

Return the pan back on to the heat and add the remaining ghee. 

Add the ground masala and cook on medium heat till the oil starts resurfacing. Keep stirring in between to prevent the paste from burning and sticking to the pan.

At this point throw back in the cooked chicken along with all the stock and toss it around to coat the pieces well.

Add salt if required and cook for a further couple more minutes, till the chicken is completely cooked and there is no more gravy visible. It should be sort of dry.

Add the curry leaves and coriander leaves (if using), give a final stir and remove from the heat.

Serve with some hot rotis or ghee rice. Yummmoo.

Notes: Original recipe calls for the dry Kashmiri chillies (15 of them).

If using tamarind pieces, dilute a small piece in 1 tbsp water, squeeze it out and use the water without the tamarind.

The colour is supposed to be a deeper red, but I suppose that comes with using dry Kashmiri chillies.

If you are adventurous, go ahead and use 1/2 a cup instead of the 4 tbsp :)

Linking this up to the Indian Food Palooza event hosted by the three lovely ladies Prerna, Kathy Gori and Barbara. Don't forget to check it out.