Dum ka Murgh/ Dum Chicken

         
            Hyderabadi cuisine, I bet, no one can ever say 'No' to it. It is an amalgamation of Mughlai, Arabic and the native Telugu cuisines. The one thing that stands out is the skilled use of spices. The aroma of the dishes makes you gorge on the dishes guilt free. Today I am going to write down the recipe of Dum Chicken, one of the many hyderabadi varieties.

            Dum Chicken tastes best with Rumaali Roti. It can also be had with Biryani.

Prep time: 2 hours 30 minutes(including marination)
Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients for masala paste:

Tomatoes: 3 medium size
Green chilies: 6(suit your spice level)
Peppercorns: 5-6
Almonds: 7-8
Cashews: 7-8

Ingredients for marination:

Chicken, bone/ boneless: 1 kg
Fried and powdered onions: 3 medium size
Ginger garlic paste: 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder: 1/2 tsp
Red chili powder: 2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Garam masala: 1 tsp
Yogurt: 100 grams
Saffron: 5-6 strands
Coriander powder: 1 tsp
Masala paste
Oil: 1+1( frying onions + Cooking)
Coriander leaves, chopped: 1 bunch

Method:

1. Heat oil in a frying pan, add sliced onions. Saute till they are dark brown in colour and remove them from oil. Let it cool. Once it cools down, powder the fried onions with your hand. 
2. In a blender, first blend almonds, cashews and peppercorns together. Add tomatoes, green chilies and blend again to make a paste.
3. Wash the chicken in a bowl and drain the water. Add ginger garlic paste, garam masala powder, turmeric, red chili powder, salt, coriander powder, yogurt, saffron, fried onion powder and the masala paste.
4. Marinate for at least 2 hours in refrigerator.
5. Heat oil in a flat vessel and add the marinated chicken. Add half glass of water and cook on low flame. Stir often so that the masala does not get burnt.
6. Turn off the flame when the oil starts leaving the vessel.
7. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve.

Notes:

• Instead of mashing fried onions with your hands, you can blend them in a blender. 
• You can use red colour if you do not have saffron. 

Linking this recipe to Fullscoops , Tanya