Shahi Murgh

As the name suggests, this is a 'royal' recipe! The cashew nuts, ghee, butter and cream make this gravy rich and creamy. For a change, this time, I have used button mushrooms for garnishing. Though this recipe involves many tasks, it is truly worth the effort!

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time : 40 minutes

Ingredients:

For the Chicken:

Chicken - 500 gm, cut into medium size pieces

Ghee (an Indian variant of clarified butter) - 2-3 tbsp

Butter - 1 tbsp

Salt - to taste

For the Garam Masala:

Cinnamon - 3'' stick

Shahi Jeera (black cumin seeds) - 2 tbsp

Jeera(cumin seeds)-1 tbsp

Peppercorns - 1tbsp

Black cardamom - 1

Green cardamom - 6

Nutmeg - a pinch

Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp

Mace - a piece

Pathar ke phool (Black stone flower) - a little

Cloves - 6

Dry ginger - 2 pieces

For the Gravy Masala:

Ghee(an Indian variant of clarified butter) - 4-5 tbsp

Salt - to taste

Cashew nuts - 20-25

Onions -3, medium

Green chillies - 3

Turmeric powder -1 tsp

Sugar - 1 tsp

Kashmiri chilli powder -2 tsp

Tomato puree - 250 gm

Tomato paste - 4 tbsp

Cumin powder - 2 tsp

Coriander powder - 2 tsp

Cream - 4-5 tbsp

Ginger-garlic paste - 2 tbsp

Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

Bay leaves - 2

For Garnishing :

Button Mushrooms - 200 gm

Ghee- 2 tbsp

Coriander leaves- a few, chopped

Preparation:

For the Garam Masala:

In a flat pan, broil all the ingredients for the garam masala till you get an aromatic smell. When cooled, powder the whole masala to a fine powder.

For the Gravy Masala:

Soak cashew nuts in warm water for 10-15 minutes. Grind to a smooth paste. Keep aside. Puree the onion and keep aside. Beat the green chillies to a paste and set aside.

For the Garnishing:

Wash, clean and slice the mushrooms. Stir fry the mushrooms in 2 tbsp of ghee. keep stirring till they turn dark. Remove from heat and keep aside.

Method:

1. Heat ghee in a kadai(pan). Add butter and salt into it. Now add few chicken pieces and stir fry them  till they are golden in colour. Repeat this for all the chicken pieces. Keep them aside.

2. Heat ghee in a heavy bottom vessel. Add the cumin seeds and the bay leaves. When the spluttering stops, add the ginger-garlic paste and saute for 2-3 minutes. Then add the onion puree and saute for sometime.

3. Now add, 3 1/2 tbsp of prepared garam masala and green chilli paste. Mix well. Then add the Tomato puree and paste. Also add the turmeric,sugar and salt. Mix well by continuously stirring.

4. When the oil begins to float from the sides add the stir-fried chicken pieces. Mix well till the pieces get covered. Add only 1/2 a cup of water. Close and cook till almost done.

5. Now, add the cashew nut paste and cream. Cook for a couple of minutes. Put off the fire. Transfer to a serving bowl. Garnish with fried mushrooms and a few chopped coriander leaves. Shahi Murgh is up for grabs!