Chicken And Pepper Epithet

I have done clever things with pen and pepper. My hope is, this is one of them. I had some leftover grated ginger and chopped coriander from the Dahi Vadas. These are flavors I love, especially in chicken.

The number of ways you can cook chicken with some very basic spices thrown in boggles my mind. I am keeping it simple today with just some chicken drumsticks, crushed black peppercorns, tomatoes and fresh coriander thrown in good measure to make this Kali Mirch Murgh (Black Pepper Chicken).

The Black Pepper Chicken is one of the most homely dinners served with some hot rotis/parathas. Here is the cracking recipe which did it for me.

Ingredients for Kali Mirch Murgh are:

6-7 chicken drumsticks (skinless)
1 tennis ball-size red onion, finely sliced
1 large ripe tomato, roughly sliced
Half cup finely chopped coriander
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 tablespoon garlic paste
Half tablespoon freshly powdered garam masala (homemade powder made of cinnamon sticks, cardamoms {both green and black}, and cloves ground coarsely)
2 tablespoons freshly pounded black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 bay leaf
Salt
 

In a glass bowl, marinade the chicken pieces with the grated ginger, garlic paste, pounded black pepper, half of the chopped coriander and garam masala. Let it stand for 30 minutes.

Heat oil in a pan, add the bay leaf and the onions all at the same time. Fry till the onions start turning pink. That’s when you add the chicken and fry on high heat to get a nice color on the meat.
Mid way of frying the chicken, add some more chopped coriander and salt to taste. Cover and cook for about five minutes before adding the tomatoes.
I did not add any water to this chicken, the tomatoes and the juices from the chicken and spices were enough to get the right consistency to the dish. Cook till the chicken is done, which does not take much time to cook. Adjust the salt.
Garnish with some more coriander if you want, and serve with rotis or parathas.
Easy but tasty and that’s what I like.