Chicken Stew (East meets West)

Indian Food = Spicy. That’s almost a natural association for a lot of us. But the important part that we often miss out on, in this story of Indian Food is the flavors, of the herbs and of the spices. And as all of you would realize, the ingredients play a big role too. Typically due to difference in climatic conditions, the veggies that we get across continents also differ greatly. Experimenting and mixing Indian spices, with veggies of East Asian and Mediterranean origins, can produce some very interesting results.

This is one such experiment. The typical Indian Chicken Stew, Reloaded!

Enjoy and Share!

Ingredients:

For Marination:

• Chicken-2 lb (around 1kg)
• Mustard oil-1 tablespoon
• Yogurt/Curd-1/3 cup
• Paprika-1 teaspoon
• Salt-1 teaspoon
• Garlic- 1 teaspoon (paste)
• Ginger-1 teaspoon (paste)

Ingredients for the Stew:

• White oil-1 tablespoon
• Bay leaves- 2-3
• Cloves-6-8 pieces
• Cinnamon sticks-2
• Cardamom- 4-5 pieces (open the pods)
• Onion-1/2 of a medium (chopped finely)
• Carrot-2-3 (cut into 2″ long sticks)
• Celery-3 sticks (cut into 2″ long sticks)
• Green beans (1/2 lb or around 225gm) (cut 2″ long)
• Baby Bok Choy-2 to 3 (chopped roughly)
• Bell Peppers/ Coloured Capsicum -1/2 cup (Chopped roughly)
• Salt (to taste)
• Water- 2 cups

Cooking Method:

1. In a bowl marinate the chicken with everything mentioned in the section “For Marination” and keep it aside at room temperature for 1-2 hours OR you can marinate overnight in the refrigerator.
2. I used a Pressure Cooker to prepare this dish, you can always use an Instant Pot instead.
3. Heat up the Pressure Cooker to medium and add the white oil.
4. Now reduce the heat to minimum and temper with (Bay leaves,Cinnamon, Cloves, Cardamom) stir for 10-15 secs till you get the aroma of the spices. Now add the chopped Onion. Fry till golden and fragrant.
5. Add the marinated chicken, saute for 3-5 minutes, add 1 cup of water. let it come to boil, then pressure cook to 3 whistles.
6. Remove from heat release the pressure and add all the vegetables (carrot, celery, green beans, bok choy, bell peppers)
7. Add salt (to taste) and 1 more cup of water (adjust the quantity of water). Pressure cook to 2 whistles, switch off the heat and let it rest for 5 minutes.
8. Serve hot with Buns/ Deli Rolls & Butter.