.....................Chicken Jalfrezi...................

Chicken jalfrezi

Hot with a delicious taste of peppers & chillies.

Jalfrezi, or jhal frezi, means dry fry and as such this deliciously hot dish does not have much of a gravy. Instead the thick sauce tantalisingly clings to spicy chunks of chicken and pepper.

1
Grind the whole spices (use only 1 tsp of the cumin seeds) and add to the turmeric. Thoroughly coat the meat with the spices and leave to marinade for at least a couple of hours (preferably overnight in the fridge).

2
Heat the oil or ghee in a large pan – it must be very hot. Add the remaining cumin seeds. Once they begin to crackle, add your chicken (it will spit everywhere so take care) and turn in the fat to brown it. Turn the heat down and add the chillies and pepper. Stir fry until the pepper starts to soften.

3
Add the brown stuff. Simmer for 20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Just before serving, stir in the garam masala and chopped fresh coriander.

Ingredients

Serves 4

4 chicken breasts, diced

1 red pepper, sliced into chunks

4 green chillies, sliced lengthways

1 tbsp cumin seeds

1 tsp coriander seeds

4 inch cinnamon stick

2 cardomom pods

4 cloves

½ tsp turmeric

½ pint (275 ml) brown stuff

2 tbsp fresh coriander, finely chopped

2 tsp garam masala

2 tbsp ghee, for frying

Cook’s Notes

Serve with rice and/or naans.
Add seeds from the chillies or use red chillies for more heat.