Name: Spicy Chicken Gravy
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 85 min
Cuisine: Nepalese
Ingredients: 1000 g Chicken, cleaned; 4 Medium onions, finely sliced; 3–4 Tomatoes, blended into a purée; 8 tsp Oil; 5 tsp Ginger-garlic paste; Salt and water, as needed; 3 Cloves; 3 Cardamom pods; 2 Medium cinnamon sticks; 3 Indian bay leaves; 4 Dried red chilies; 4 Green chilies; Cumin seeds and turmeric; 1 tbsp Garam masala; 1 tsp Coriander powder; 1 tsp Cumin powder; 0.5 tsp Black pepper; 3 tsp Kashmiri chili powder; 4 tsp Chicken masala (Century preferred); Cashews and almonds, for roasting; Aamako achar or another spicy ginger-garlic pickle, optional

Before the heat goes on

A little prep

Prep 1

Roasting

Start by roasting the cashews, almonds, cardamom, and cloves. Leave them to cool, then blend with a little water to make a fine paste.

Prep 2

Tomato purée

Blend 3–4 chopped tomatoes into a purée and keep it aside. Slice the onions thinly.

Finely chopped onions and whole spices on the chopping board, from page two — Onions and spices ready. Now for the pot.

Cooking process

9 steps

01
Heat 8 teaspoons of oil in a pressure cooker or nonstick pot.
02
Add turmeric, a cinnamon stick, cumin seeds (jeera), and three Indian bay leaves. Fry briefly.
03
Add the sliced onions and stir-fry until they turn golden brown.
Keep an eye on those onions.
04
Stir in the ginger-garlic paste and roasted nut paste. For extra heat, add aamako achar or another spicy ginger-garlic pickle. Fry over medium heat until the oil separates.
05
Add the chicken pieces. The chicken will release water, so let that cook off. Cook for about 5 minutes over medium heat, then 10 minutes over high heat as the chicken starts to fry. Keep stirring so it doesn’t catch.
06
Add the coriander and cumin powders, chicken masala, and 1 tablespoon of garam masala. Add ½ teaspoon of black pepper and the red and green chilies.
07
Fry the chicken in the masala for 3–4 minutes over medium heat. Stir in the tomato purée and Kashmiri chili powder, then cook for another 5 minutes.
08
Add salt to taste and water depending on how much gravy you want.
09
Cook over medium heat for another 10 minutes, letting the water reduce to the consistency you like. Check that the chicken is cooked through, then serve hot.
Ready to serve.