Ajwaini Murg (Chicken with Carrom Seeds)

Jaspreet Nirula, whose recipe I was to follow initially, is an excellent chef and his recipes always give excellent results. I have been following his recipes and saving them but somehow did not get the chance to execute them. Today, I decided to try his  Ajwaini Murg and set out with the marination to start with. The recipe was extremely simple and as I started cooking, I realized I was out of a crucial ingredient, coriander leaves! I was all lost as I could not find any proper substitute for the same. The chicken was getting cooked and I had to continue with the gravy and so I decided to do a makeover of the recipe, while still retaining the flavor of ajwain, which was the heart of the dish. It turned out a superbly delicious dish, just perfect with hot phulkas on a rainy Wednesday afternoon!!! Highly recommended!!

Ingredients

300 gms chicken, washed and cleaned and cut into your preferred size

3 medium onions finely sliced

1" piece ginger grated

1 tbsp garlic grated

3 tbsp yogurt whipped

1 tsp ajwain or carrom seeds

1 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp garam masala powder

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp sugar

2-3 green chillies, chopped

1/2 tbsp crushed kasuri methi

2 tbsp coconut milk

1 tbsp oil

Direction

Marinate the chicken with the curd, ginger garlic paste, ajwain, turmeric powder, chilli  powder, garam masala powder, green chillies, sugar, and salt. Keep aside for 1-2 hours. 

Heat oil in a pan. Add the marinated chicken along with the marinade and fry on a medium heat till the juices are sealed and excess moisture is absorbed. This will take around 10 minutes depending on how much water the chicken releases. Add the onions now and stir. Cover and cook till the chicken is tender and the oil starts appearing on top. No addition of water is required as this is a semi dry preparation. Add the crushed kasuri methi and coconut milk and stir well. Check for seasoning and cook on a high flame for 2-3 minutes. Serve hot with roti/paratha.