Maunika Gowardhan

Murgh do Pyaza

Chicken curry cooked with fried onions, tomato, spices and garam masala

Serves
4
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Murgh do Pyaza

The recipe

Ingredients

  • 850gms chicken on the bone skinless cut to bite size pieces
  • 6 garlic cloves roughly chopped
  • 2” ginger roughly chopped
  • 3 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 dried mild red chillies
  • 200gms white onions finely chopped
  • 1 ½tsp mild chilli powder (or kashmiri chilli powder)
  • 1 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tbsp cumin powder
  • 1 tbsp coriander powder
  • 200gms tomatoes pureed to a paste
  • 140gms greek yoghurt whisked
  • 150mls water
  • 140gms new potatoes
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 tbsp garam masala
  • Coriander for garnish

For the shallots

  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 200gms shallots peeled and halved

Method

  1. Grind the garlic and ginger in a blender with a splash of water. In a large mixing bowl add the chicken and mix in the garlic ginger paste. Mix well and set aside for an hour or overnight preferably

  2. In a large heavy bottom sauce pan heat the oil over a medium flame. Add the bay leaves and chilli fry for a few seconds. Add the onion and fry for 17-18 minutes stir well and as they begin to brown add the marinated chicken. Turn the heat up slightly and seal the chicken pieces all over for 7-8 minutes.

  3. Stir well and at this stage add chilli powder, turmeric, cumin and coriander powder. Fry for a minute. Add the pureed tomato and mix well scraping the bottom of the pan. Cook for 4 minutes.

  4. Turn the heat back to medium and add the yoghurt a little at a time. Stir well making sure it doesn’t curdle for 6 minutes. Add water, new potatoes and season to taste. Turn the heat to a low setting and cook the chicken curry for 20 minutes with the lid on. Stir half way through the cooking process. Turn the heat off and add the garam masala. Leave the chicken to rest

  5. In a frying pan heat the oil and fry the shallots for 5-6 minutes on each side over a medium heat. I like when the onions are slightly charred for you can fry them for a little longer if you wish. Add the fried shallots to the curry stir well. Add a splash of water if the gravy is too thick. Garnish with coriander and lemon juice. Serve with rice or roti.

The story

About this recipe.

‘Do Pyaza’ meaning double onions is a term used for this north Indian curry. Slow cooking the onions in a Murgh do Pyaza is key as its goes a lovely caramel colour and gives the curry a deep rich flavour to the resultant dish. This is the recipe I cook at home and was shared by a family friend. Although the first stage includes frying the onions this recipe from her also has fried shallots which are added right at the end. They are caramalised and lend a wonderful texture and flavour to the gravy. Also I love adding new potatoes to the curry as they hold their shape and don’t disintegrate in the gravy while cooking. The creaminess in the curry comes from the addition of yoghurt and I use full fat greek yoghurt as it also prevent the yoghurt from splitting.

Murgh Do Payaza is perfect served with tandoori roti or rice.

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