Chicken – 2 lbs boneless, skinless thigh, bite-size pieces
Spinach – 16oz pkt, frozen chopped
Tomatoes – 6 medium tomatoes, finely chopped
Oil – 4 tsp
Black Cardamom – 1
Cinnamon – 1” stick
Green Cardamom – 2
Bay Leaves – 2
Cloves – 4
Onions – 1 large, finely chopped
Ginger – 2 tsp (heaped)
Garlic – 5 cloves, finely chopped
Green Chilies – to taste
Salt – to taste
Red Chili Powder – ½ tsp
GaramMasala – 1 tsp
Cumin Powder – 1 tsp
Coriander Powder – 1 tsp
Curry Powder – 1 tsp
Method:
Heat oil in a medium, non-stick wok on medium to high flame.
Once the oil is hot, add the Bay leaves, Cloves, Cinnamon and the Cardamoms.
Add the Onions. Mix well, cover the wok and let it cook about 5 min (until the onions turn translucent with a touch of golden).
Add the Ginger, Garlic and Green Chili and tomatoes. Mix again and cover.
This time around, the mixture needs to cook longer but keep an eye on it and keep stirring. The key is to let it cook till the oil separates from the mixture. The mixture (masala) will reduce considerably in amount.
Add the Chicken and the dry spices (Cumin Powder, Coriander Powder, Salt, Red Chili Powder, Garam Masala & Curry Powder). Give it a good stir and cover.
Cook the Chicken for about 5-7 min, add in the Spinach, and yes, mix again and cover
Cook for another 10 min.
Serves 6-8.
Tips:
The first 5 steps of the recipe above are the base of a lot of North Indian cooking and it is the longest process….and the most vital. Once you have this down, you can experiment with a lot of variations to this recipe.
GaramMasala is available at any Indian, Whole Foods or Health food stores.
I am paranoid about my utensils that I use for ‘meats’ cooking….I always make sure I can put them in the dishwasher for a good, hygienic cleaning.
It is a great idea to have a separate chopping boards for your ‘veggies’ and your ‘meats’. I always put the ‘meats’ chopping board in the dishwasher after every single use.
