Pickle-Style Chicken- Achaari Chicken

The other day my husband came back from office and kept bragging about the lunch, which his colleague shared with him. He is from Pakistan and his wife had prepared some yummy Achaari Gosht and served it with parathas. My husband asked me if I knew the dish and if I could recreate the magic. I quickly looked up the recipe from the internet and thought of giving it a try. I am not sure if I could match the standards of that Pakistani lady (Pakistanis are usually known for their excellent culinary skills), but this version is surely fingerlicking! 

Ingredients

500 gms chicken

1 medium onion, chopped

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

1/2 tsp ginger paste

1/2 tsp garlic paste

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 cup yogurt

2 dry red chillies

2 green chillies, chopped

1/4 tsp kalonji

1/4 tsp mustard (rai) seeds

1/4 tsp cumin (jeera) seeds

1/4 tsp fenugreek (meethi) seeds

1/4 tsp fennel (saunf) seeds

Fresh coriander for garnishing

Salt to taste

1/2 cup water

1+1 tbsp oil

Directions

In a pan, dry roast the kalonji, cumin, fenugreek, mustard, and fennel seeds. Put them in a grinder and make a fine powder. Keep aside.

In another pan, heat 1 tbsp oil and add the chopped onions and fry till translucent. Add the red and green chillies and half of the powdered masala. Fry till everything gets a good stir and the onions turn golden brown. Remove the onions from the pan and keep aside. In the same pan, add the remaining 1 tbsp oil. Once the oil is hot, add the ginger garlic paste and give it a light stir. Next add the chopped tomatoes and fry till they get a little smashed. Add the yogurt, the remaining masala, turmeric powder, and salt. Tip in the chicken pieces. Mix everything together and add 1/2 cup water. Cover and simmer the gas till the chicken gets tender and cooked, while stirring occasionally. Lastly, add the fried onions and mix everything well. Cover and cook for another 3-5 minutes. Add the coriander and remove from heat. Your Achaari Chicken is ready to be relished with roti/rice. Enjoy!