My today’s recipe is Yogurt chicken with dried Fenugreek which has been my favorite since childhood.As we live in a fast paced world and we need everything in a jiffy.I think the art of yogurt making would soon be lost and will only be known to kids through factory visits.
As a kid I had never seen my mother purchase yogurt for us.Today like many other mothers I stock my refrigerator with all kinds of flavored yogurt but I miss the way my mother ceremoniously prepared yogurt for us.Fresh yogurt was a must in my household.
If I remiss my science answers , then theoretically yogurt is made by inoculating bacteria Lactobacillus bulgaricus, into milk. After inoculation, the milk is coagulated by bacteria-produced lactic acid.Wallah that’s a 10/10 for this answer.
But at home this is the most beautiful process.First you need the starter curd which if unavailable would be requested from thy neighbors from these very humble hands which type.Kids are so good at asking. Sharing is caring is what I have learnt from the place I come from.In today’s world if you ask thy neighbor then you get those devious looks piercing your conscience “you miser go buy yourself”.
Then my mother would boil the milk and then into warm milk she would pour the starter curd which she sweetly called “jordhun”.She made yogurt in a small clay pot/porcelain pot.She said it is more earthy in flavor and trust me I never get that taste from any other place.It would be kept outside in a warm corner to facilitate the process of coagulation.
Each morning the fresh yogurt was taken out, a small portion was offered to god and another portion of it for our breakfast and the remaining would either go on my mom’s head or her face.As she said the edible yogurt had acidic properties which made the scalp healthy and the skin supple.Its all in a day’s hard work for the yogurt only to start afresh.
Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.
To those beautiful memories of yogurt I dedicate my today’s recipe.Something my mother loved preparing for us.
- 1 kg chicken cut into cubes
- 1 cup thick yogurt
- Handful of Dried fenugreek leaves/kasuri methi
- 2 onion finely chopped
- 1 tbsp ginder garlic paste
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- 1 tsp garam masala powder
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
- salt to taste
- Heat the oil in a deep bottomed pan.Fry the onions until slightly golden brown.
- Add the ginger garlic paste and fry for 2 minutes.
- Then add dry spices and fry for 1 minute.
- Add the chicken and coat the chicken with the onion spice mix.
- Add salt as per your taste.
- Cover and cook on medium heat until the chicken is tender.
- The important trick when you add the yogurt you should remove the pan from heat.Add your yogurt and mix the yogurt well with the chicken.
- Then place the pan back on the heat and stir the yogurt gravy for 2 minutes.
- Cover and turn down the heat and let it simmer until the heat dies down.This will help the yogurt release its fat and give a unique creamy texture to the chicken.
- Finally before serving garnish the yogurt chicken with fried fenugreek leaves.The aroma will immediately enlighten your kitchen.
- Have it with Naan,pita bread or steamed rice. Lovely!!