2 1/2 lb Chicken Joints
4 md Onions -- peeled
1 1/2 Inch Cube Of Ginger --
Peeled & chopped
6 Cloves Garlic -- peeled
7 tb Vegetable Oil
1 tb Ground Coriander Seeds
1 tb Ground Cumin Seeds
1/2 ts Ground Turmeric
1/2 ts Cayenne Pepper
4 tb Plain Yogurt
2 1/2 c Water
2 md Tomatoes, Peeled -- very
Finely chopped
2 ts Salt
1/2 ts Garam Masala -- (essential)
1 tb Fresh Cilantro -- finely
Chopped
Cut chicken into serving pieces. Whole legs should be separated into
drumsticks and thighs. Whole breasts should be cut into 4-6 pieces,
depending on their size. Skin all the chicken pieces.
Chop half of the onions coarsely. Cut the remaining onions into halves
lengthwise, and then crosswise into very thin slices. [This is the key
step!].
Put CHOPPED onions, ginger, and garlic into a food processor and
blend to a paste. Heat oil in a large, wide pot or deep-frying pan
(nonstick) over a medium flame. When hot, put in the SLICED onions
and stir fry them until they are deep, reddish-brown. Remove the
onions with a slotted spoon, squeezing out and leaving behind as much
oil as possible. Set aside onions in a plate.
Remove pot/pan from flame. Put in blended paste (watch out for
sputtering!). Put the pot back to heat. Stir and fry the paste until
it is brown, about 3-4 minutes. Now put in the coriander, cumin,
turmeric and cayenne; stir once. Put in 1 tab of yogurt. Stir about
30 seconds or until yogurt is incorporated into sauce. Do the same
with remaining yogurt, 1 tab. at a time. Put in the chicken pieces
and stir them around for a minute.
Pour in water, add the tomatoes and salt. Stir to mix and bring to
simmer. Cover, turn heat to low and cook 20 minutes. Sprinkle in the
garam masala and the fried onions. Mix. Cook, uncovered, on medium
heat for 7-8 minutes or until the sauce reduces and thickens.
Skim off the fat and put the chicken in a warm serving dish. Sprinkle
the green cilantro over the top.
Note: This is not called chicken dopiaza by M. Jaffrey. But last
night I was at my favorite Indian restaurant here and I asked the
owner what chicken dopiaza was and he told me it was this
