Railway Chicken Curry

Railway Chicken Curry

Long ago,almost 20 years back, when I was a young boy, during the autumn of 1993 we had been to Madhya Pradesh - the center of India for a tour.I remember the Narmada falls, the Marble rocks of Jabalpur,the caves of Ajanta and Ellora  very vividly.And along with that I remember a wonderful evening - and that was in Bhopal - the sun was almost settling down for the day and my sister and a cousin of mine were listening to childhood stories from my mother.It was almost the end of October and once the final sunrays were over it used to get pleasantly cool.
We were staying in a hotel very near to the Bhopal railway station and for some reason or the other I don't quite remember,narrating after almost 20 years, we were very happy.Not sure whether it was because Bhopal was the end of the trip and we would be visiting our Masi's(my mother's sister) home in Delhi after that.But whatever was the reason we felt very happy.
And normally when we were on tours it was my father's strict instruction to stick to veggie food stuff only - a directive which I consciously follow even today(excepting the last day when on a tour).But that day was an exception.Seeing our faces who couldnt handle the bland food, dad said he will take all the kids (there were four or five of us) to the railway canteen nearby for chicken.And that made our day.
After having the chicken in the autumn of '93 and then preparing it 20 years later, one thing I can tell is the joy I got in preparing it.This was prepared for an informal meet with friends over dinner sometime back in June.And I repeated the recipe later to satiate our taste buds.
I always enjoy slow cooking over low fire and hence the longer cooking time.But the end result is succulent,tender pieces of chicken which you wont get other wise.

Serves: 2

Preparation Time: 15 mins.
Cooking Time: 1 hr 15 mins.

Ingredients:

• Chicken: 600 gms
• Onion: 250 gms.Sliced.
• Ginger: One 1 inch piece.Crushed.
• Garlic: 8-10 pieces.Crushed
• Tomato: 1 medium sized.Cut into small slices.
• Potato: One large(100 gms).Peeled and sliced into two pieces.
• Green Chilli - 6-8 slit.
• Mustard Oil: 6 tb sp
• Salt: To taste

Powdered Spices:

• Turmeric Powder - 2 tsp
• Coriander Powder - 2 tsp
• Red Chilli Powder - 1 tsp
• Garam Masala Powder: 1 tsp

Procedure:

• In a kadai, under oven set to high, heat the mustard oil. Wait for the oil to get hot.
• Turn the heat to low. Then add the slit green chillies, crushed ginger and garlic at the same time.Wait for a couple of minutes by which time the ginger-garlic smell will evolve.
• Then add the sliced onions.
• Wait for the onions to turn brown. This should require 8-10 mins.
• Add the chicken pieces and stir for 2-3 mins. The chicken will gradually start acquiring a brown colour.
• Sprinkle the turmeric powder, coriander powder and red chilli powder over the chicken pieces and stir for another 2 mins.
• Then add the tomato slices.This will add some amount of moisture in the mixture.Sprinkle some amount of salt over the chicken.
• Continue to stir the chicken pieces along with the other ingredients for another 20-25 mins until the mixture acquires a dark brownish colour.
• Then add the sliced potato halves.
• Stir for another 5-6 mins.
• Pour some warm water sufficient to cover the chicken and put a lid on the kadai.
• Ensure that the level of salt is as per taste.
• Check every 10-12 mins and stir the curry should the chicken stick to the button.Repeat this process for 35-40 mins.
• At the end of which add the garam masala powder
• Stir one final time.The chicken should become soft enough to melt in the mouth.

Serve with steaming hot rice.