Chicken ‘Ishtew’ Mughlai Recipe

Chicken ‘Ishtew’ is a take on the British Chicken Stew that is served even today by legendary restaurants like Karim’s in the streets around the Red Fort in old Delhi.

Serves 3-4

Ingredients

Chicken pieces-1 Kg (2 lbs) (4 cups)

Onions chopped finely-1 Kg (2 lbs) (4 cups)

Tomatoes chopped-1 Kg (2 lbs) (4 cups)

Garlic chopped-8 cloves

Ginger chopped-2 inch piece

Green Cardamom (Chhoti Elaichi)-4

Brown Cardamom (Badi Elaichi)-2

Cinnamon (Dalchinni)-1 inch stick

Cloves (Laung)-6

Bay Leaves (Tejpatta)-2

Cumin Seeds (Jeera)-1 teaspoon

Yoghurt unsweetened (Indian set curd is preferred)-200 grams (7oz) (1 cup)

Cooking Oil-4 tablespoon

Salt- 1 teaspoon or to taste

Method

Marinate the chicken pieces with yoghurt and salt for half an hour.

Method using pressure cooker

Light the heat source and place the pressure cooker on it. Add the cooking oil.

As soon as the oil warms up, add the cardamom, bay leaves, cinnamon, cloves and the cumin seeds. Let them brown for a few seconds.

Add the garlic and ginger and again let the mixture roast for a minute.

Add the chicken along with the marinade and stir well.

Cover the chicken first with the onions and then with the tomatoes. DO NOT STIR. This is because the chicken has to cook in the juice of the onions and the tomatoes and if we stir at this moment then the onions and tomatoes will get fried (a result that we don’t want).

Close the lid of the cooker and let it come to full pressure (i.e. when the weight lifts and there is a whistling sound).

Immediately reduce the heat (to SIM on a gas stove) and let the chicken cook for 5 more minutes before turning off the heat source.

Let the cooker cool down before you open it. You will find that there is a lot of water inside. So light the heat source again and place the cooker on it.

Let the water evaporate till it becomes a thickish curry.

That’s all. Your Chicken ‘Ishtew’ Mughlai is ready.

Using a wok or thick bottomed pan

Switch on your heat source and place the wok/pan on it.

Add the cooking oil.

As soon as the oil warms up, add the cardamom, bay leaves, cinnamon, cloves and the cumin seeds (jeera). Let them brown for a few seconds.

Add the garlic and ginger and again let it roast for a minute.

Add the chicken along with the marinade and stir well.

Cover it with the onions and then with the tomatoes. DO NOT STIR.

This is because the chicken has to cook in the juice of the onions and the tomatoes and if we stir at this moment then the onions and tomatoes will get fried (a result that we don’t want).

Cover the wok/pan with a lid and let this all cook till the chicken is well done (in about 20 minutes).

If after 20 minutes, you find that there is some water inside, continue cooking till all that water evaporates and you get a somewhat thickish curry.

That’s all. Your Chicken ‘Ishtew’ Mughlai is ready.

Prep time: 10 minutes (excluding marination time)

Cooking time: 20 minutes with a pressure cooker; 40 minutes with a wok/pan

Total time: 30 minutes with a pressure cooker; 50 minutes with a wok/pan

[This recipe is an excerpt from my book “The Ultimate Guide to Cooking Chicken the Indian Way” which is available on all major e-book retailers like Amazon, ibooks, Nook, Google Play, Kobo and so on…]

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