recipe

Pepper chicken

Ingredients

1 heaped cup chopped onions, 1 cup chopped tomatoes (adjust if they are sour), salt as needed, 1 tsp pepper corn, ¼ tsp. red chili powder, ¾ tsp. garam masala powder, 1 sprig curry leaves or bay leaf or few mint leaves, ½ tsp cumin or shahi jeera, 2 to 3 green cardamoms, 1 inch cinnamon stick, 3 cloves, 2 tbsp. oil (if not a low fat diet, increase by another tbsp)

Marination

500 grams chicken (with bone or boneless), 1 tsp ginger garlic paste or grated, ⅛ tsp turmeric, salt to taste.

Method

  1. Wash chicken and drain off the water. Marinate with ingredients under marination. Keep it aside until needed.
  2. Add oil to a hot pan, add cumin, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom and allow them to sizzle.
  3. Add curry leaves and ginger garlic paste. fry till the raw smell of ginger garlic goes off.
  4. Add onions and fry till they turn golden.
  5. Add tomatoes and salt. Fry till the tomatoes turn mushy and soft.
  6. Add red chili powder, garam masala and coarsely crushed pepper corn.
  7. Fry everything well till the mixture looses all the moisture.
  8. Add chicken and fry for about 3 to 4 minutes.
  9. cover and cook on a low flame till the chicken turns tender. If the chicken doesn't ooze out enough water to cook, then add little water. cover and cook.
  10. If you want to have gravy, switch off the stove.
  11. If you prefer a dry version, cook without lid and evaporate the moisture in the chicken.
  12. Fry till all the moisture dries up.
  13. Serve hot with rice and rasam.