Indianised Chicken Stew

Indians have left their rubber stamp on almost everything that they have inherited or got inspired from other countries, cultures or nations. Its true that a food gets localized by the ingredients available, the cook, the local taste and people and follows the same for the Chicken Stew too! Just like we have Calcutta rubber stamped Chinese food, the same goes for Continental food, sizzlers and British food. The origins of the stew is definitely Western and goes with bread. But our very own Indianised Chicken Stew goes excellently with Rice and Paranthas.

Writing on Chicken Stew invariably brings forth the bread,butter and chicken stew of Bengal restaurant in Behala.Not quite a great restaurant to eat out, but definitely one where you can takeaway the dinner when you want to have something light on the stomach on a quite day.Its an Indianised version with bits of tumeric and coriander powder and the chicken is gingerly tossed and braised that adds to it an added aroma and flavour. The stew goes great on that day when you want to have the benefits of 5 different dishes but don't have the time to prepare any of them.It does not involve too much of braising the chicken or the vegetables either.It is more of a boiled preparation and uses the pressure cooker for 70% of the cooking time.

To start with buy some chicken from the market and loads of vegetables - Papaya, carrot, beans, tomato. Potato is an optional ingredient.Add one boiled egg to the list. Prepare some fine steamed rice before hand.

Preparation:

• Chicken: 1 kg.Mix 2 tsps of vinegar and appopriate amount of salt with the chicken and keep aside for 30 mins.
• Wash all the vegetables in running water.

Cooking:

Ingredients:

• Chicken - Marinaded.

Vegetables: 

• Papaya:1.(About 500 gms). Remove the cover and the slice away the seeds. Cut the papaya into 8 big pieces.
• Carrot:2.(About 200 gms). Peal away the cover. Slit length wise.
• Beans: 100 gms. Cut the ends.
• Tomato: 1 cut into 8 pieces. No need to deseed it.
• Potato: 1. Sliced into 2 pieces.

• Onion: 250 gms.Sliced longitudinally. 
• Ginger: One 1 inch piece.Coarsely crushed.
• Garlic: 1 whole.Skin will be kept as-is.
• Vegetable Oil: 2 tablespoon.
• Salt: To taste.

Powdered Spices:

• Turmeric Powder: 2 tsp.
• Coriander Powder: 2 tsp.

Procedure:

• Heat the oil in a wok and add the crushed ginger and onion slices. Fry the onion until golden brown.
• Then add the chicken pieces along with the marinade. Increase the heat to high and wait for the chicken pieces to turn brown.This should require 10 mins.
• Then add the tumeric and coriander powders. Mix the ingredients thoroughly for 5-7 mins.
• Heat a pressure cooker under Low fire.
• Transfer all the ingredients from the wok to a pressure cooker and add the vegetables along with the entire garlic. Stir well so that the ingredients are mixed homogenously for 5 mins.
• Add some warm water to the mixture. The amount of water poured is directed related to the amount of soup that will eventually be present in the stew.
• Add salt if required and give the mixture one final stir. 
• Put the lid on the pressure cooker. 
• Let it cook for 30 minutes.The idea is so that all the vegetables melt and coalasce making the stew dense and thick.The chicken pieces also should become soft and extremely tender.

Squeeze some of the garlic from the cloves and enjoy the stew with some steamed rice, butter and the soft chicken pieces laden with the healthy veggies.