Chicken Handi

I love to make restuarant style foods at home. It certainly does not mean that i dont eat out. But when i cook something thats tastes like a restaurant dish i feel a little proud. hehe. dont know thats just me.

Anyways, one of the things that we order when having take out is Chicken Handi. Handi as seen below

is a baked clay dish. It was originally used to cook food in and our elders say that food tasted better in such cooking utensils rather then the new age non-stick cookware. These days the handis are used to decorative purposes. The cooked meal is served in these varnished handis. 

Anyhow, back to the recipe. I got this recipe from a Pakistani wife blog but it was quite sometime ago and i dont remember the address.  Please send me the address if anyone knows it, would love to give the due credit to the wonderful person who posted the recipe.

I am posting the original recipe. I didnt add the coconut as i am not a big fan of coconut in currys. Thats the only reason I dont eat thai currys as well.

Ingredients:

Chicken Boneless     1/2 kg

Onions                      2 medium, chopped 

Ginger- Garlic paste 1 Tbs

Tomatoes                  3 mediums, chopped

Red chilli powder    1 tsp

Salt                           to taste

Qasuri Methi (dried fenugreek leaves) 1 tsp

Green Chillies          3 chopped

Black pepper            1/2 tsp

Garam Masala          1/2 tsp

White cumin             1 tsp

Yogurt                      1/4 cup

Cream                      1/4 cup

Coconut powder       2 tsp

Flour                        1Tbs

Method:

- Heat  4 -5 tbs cooking oil in a Cooking pot, fry the cubed chicken on high flame so they retain their shape. Fry until they are lightly golden and tender. Take them out.

-Turn the flame to medium high heat. Put chopped onion in the same oil and fry them umtil golden.

-Add ginger-garlic paste and fry until aromatic. Now add cumin and tomatoes with a little water. Cover and cook for 10 min on low flame.

- Uncover to see if the tomatoes have become tender and loosenes their shape. Turn the flame on medium high again and cook the tomato mix until it leaves oil. Add the spices and qasuri methi. You can take tomato mix and blitz it with a hand blender if you want a smother gravy. Just be careful with it, the mix is very hot and dont do it with the pot on fire.

- Add the chicken back in . Add yogurt and cream. Cook a little. After 5 min making sure the chicken is thoroughly cooked add flour* .Turn the flame low, cover and cook for 5 min. Garnish and serve hot with naan and Raita.

* I added the flour this time but i preferred the look of my gravy without it. so next time i might not be adding this as well.