Chicken Rezala

Chicken Rezala -

Chicken rezala with roasted almonds – a classic dish from a bygone era. Rezala speaks about the influence of nawabi finesse on rustic Indian cuisine.

Ingredients:

Chicken : 500 gm
Onion paste : 1 cup
Curd: 1 cup
Ginger – garlic paste (optional) : 1 tbsp
Red chillies : 2-3
Bay leaves: 2
Few cloves, cinnamon, mace and a pinch of grated nutmeg
White pepper powder: 1 tsp
Sugar and salt to taste
Ghee : 2 tbsp
Kewra water / screw pine nut water: few drops
Garnishing (optional) : roasted almonds and dry red chillies

Instructions:

For marinade: Mix ½ cup onion paste with ½ cup beaten curd along with a spoon of ginger-garlic paste, salt and 2 red chillies.
Marinate the chicken with the above prepared marinade for two hours.
Blend the remaining onion paste with the curd and keep it separate.
Heat ghee in a pan and temper it with cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves, mace, red chillies and grated nutmeg.
Fry for few seconds till it leaves its aroma.
Now spoon out the pieces of chicken from the marinade and add to the oil carefully, and let it stir fry for 10 minutes.
Next add the marinade along with the mixture of onion paste with curd and cook for few minutes.
Add further the ginger-garlic paste and freshly pounded white pepper powder, continue cooking on low heat, add sugar and salt to taste.
Do not add any water as the onion, curd and chicken will ooze out enough liquid.
Mix it well with the chicken and cover and simmer on low heat till done.
Add few drops of kewra water or rose-water to the chicken.
Garnish with roasted almonds and dry chilli flakes before serving.