Sesame Chicken

This dish had been on my to-do list for quite sometime now. The first time I had it was at my friend's place for dinner and ever since it has become one of my favorites. While I did attempt to make it once, but back then I had used all shortcut methods and so the result was obvious as well. This time, however, I followed her recipe to the T and had a super satisfied meal. While I did compromise a little with the chillies as my baby would also be having it, the taste was nevertheless awesome. This dish also forms a part of Assamese cuisine and hence even more dear to me and makes me feel at home.

Ingredients

400 gms chicken (with bone or without)

2 medium onions

5 cloves garlic

1 tsp black peppercorns

1 tsp cumin seeds

3-4 green chillies (I compromised a bit on the chillies; you can add as per your requirement)

4-5 sprigs of coriander leaves made into a paste with 1-2 green chillies

3 tbsp black sesame seeds, roasted and made into a fine paste with little water.

2 tbsp mustard oil

1 tsp garam masala

Salt to taste

Direction

In a pan, dry roast the peppercorns and cumin seeds. Remove from heat and let it cool. In a blender, add the onions, garlic, and chillies and make a paste. Now add the roasted peppercorns and cumin seeds. Continue grinding until a coarse paste is formed. 

In another pan, heat mustard oil until smoky hot. Add the onion paste and fry till raw smell disappears. Now add the chicken and fry with the masala leaves oil. Add salt and garam masala. Simmer and cook covered until chicken is tender. Now add the sesame paste and stir. Also, tip in the coriander paste and mix. Cook for 5-10 minutes till the gravy dries up a little and oil starts coming up on top. Remove from heat and serve hot with plain rice and onion salad.