Spicy chicken curry

This is the last recipe of 2009 and I wanted to make it memorable. Hence a post on chicken curry was fitting.

I find myself to be very contemplative on the last day of every year. It's almost like I think of everything that happened during the year and how all the memories fuse together. In my mind they end up kind of looking like this:

But this is actually the marinade for the spicy chicken curry! Growing up chicken curry was the Sunday lunch special at home so I have some fond memories associated with it. Over the years I have taken my Mum's recipe and modified it a tad bit with some additions of my own. The changes have mostly been in the marinade in which I add cilantro, little bit of onion, mint along with yogurt and all the usual suspects. I find the onion helps quite a bit in tenderizing the chicken even if its marinated only for an hour. The marinade is very fragrant and an enticing aroma envelopes your kitchen while the curry simmers. The last time I visited my parents in Mumbai, I made this curry for them and a couple of our neighbors were quite curious about the origins of this aroma!

Here is the recipe which will be my last entry for the Recipe Marathon on One Hot Stove. Being a novice blogger, I was quite intimidated by the prospect of blogging every day but I really enjoyed it. Nupur, thanks for coming up with this marathon!

Happy New Year everyone! I hope 2010 gives you everything you want and more!

Ingredients:

Whole spices:

3 cloves

1 bayleaf

7 peppercorns

half a cinammon stick

2 chicken breasts (Boned-in chicken can also be used)

1 and half large onion, chopped

2 large tomatoes, chopped

For the marinade:

3 tablespoons yogurt

1 1" piece of ginger

2 cloves garlic

handful of mint and cilantro

quarter of an onion

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon red chilli powder

1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon garam masala powder

- Grind ginger, garlic, mint, cilantro and onion together with very little water.

- Combine with yogurt, lemon juice, salt and all the spices.

- Add chopped chicken breast and mix well.

- Marinade for atleast an hour or overnight if possible

- Heat oil and add all the whole spices. Saute till fragrant.

- Add chopped onion and cook till its golden brown.

- Add chopped tomatoes and cook for another 2-3 mins.

- Add marinated chicken and saute well.

- Add a cup of water and bring to a boil.

- Check seasonings and cook covered on a low flame till chicken is tender.

- Serve hot with chappatis/rice.