Chicken Curry, Parsi Brown Rice & Kachumbhar Salad

Given that life is so short, do I really want to spend one-fourth of my remaining days on earth cooking food?

No.

Instead I will now spend my time writing about it!

Sunday was Super Bowl, a fanaticism in North America a Cricket fan like me would never understand.

P tried to coax me into watching the Finals with him. He even picked a 30-wing platter which was available at a great deal in a nearby supermarket. But I had a different kind of wind beneath MY wings! I was lurking in the kitchen again.

I quickly queued the menu in my head - a simple Chicken Curry, but not a curry in a hurry, Parsi Brown Rice and Kachumbhar Salad. The Sunday Super Bowl experience should be complete with that.

Chicken and I are karmically connected. I think with a little imagination you can create wonders at your dinner table.

My Chicken-Curry-In-No-Hurry takes about 30-40 minutes to prep and cook. Try it this way:

6 pieces of chicken drumsticks and thigh, skinless
1 medium size red onion finely sliced
1 tablespoon garlic paste
1 tablespoon ginger paste
1 tablespoon green chili paste
1 teaspoon red chili powder
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 teaspoons coriander powder
1 teaspoon garam masala powder
3 tablespoon vegetable oil
Salt

Heat oil in a thick bottom pan and add the sliced onions. If you add just a pinch of sugar and let it caramelize and then add the onions, you will get a glorious color to the onions instantly! Fry the onions till they turn brown.

Add the chicken and fry for another 8-10 minutes. Add all the spices- powder and paste and keep frying till they wrap the chicken pieces well. I always cover my chicken and cook. That way I don’t have to add water and the chicken gets tender very easily.

The chicken curry should look gorgeously reddish-brown in color and should release some oil. That’s when you know its done. Sprinkle the garam masala powder and its ready to eat.The Parsi Brown Rice is a good rice dish to serve with this chicken curry, essentially for its subtle flavors. If you have Basmati rice, ghee, onions, cinnamon, cardamom, sugar and salt in your pantry. You know you have a passport to someone’s heart!

For the Parsi Brown Rice you need:

2 cups of Basmati rice
1 medium red onion finely sliced
2 tablespoon desi ghee
1 bay leaf
1 black cardamom
2 cloves
1 inch cinnamon stick
3 tablespoon sugar for caramelizing
Salt

Wash the Basmati rice and drain the water. Keep it sieved for about 30 minutes. Heat the ghee and add the onions and fry till brown. Add the dry spices and the rice. Fry for another five minutes till the rice is nicely coated with the ghee. Add salt to taste.

Meanwhile in a saucepan, melt 3 tablespoon sugar till it caramelizes. Add 3 and half cups of water. Mix well with the sugar. This water now goes into the rice.

I cooked my brown rice in the microwave on High for 20 minutes. Cover the microwaveable rice bowl with a lid/cling film/plastic wrap before you cook it in the microwave.

I make the Kachumbhar Salad when I am feeling supremely lazy or in a hurry! Chop any which ways vegetables like – onions, tomato, radish, cucumber, lettuce, and carrot. Season with lemon juice, black pepper powder, salt, a pinch of red chili powder and Chaat Masala.
Garnish with finely chopped cilantro.

This makes for a great sit-down dinner. Or do it the way P and I did it on Sunday. Served everything on our plates and sat on the couch for the Super Bowl.