Chicken Tomato Kadhai

“Chicken Tomato Kadhai” is used to one of the regulars in my repertoire but somehow over the years I forgot about this incredibly flavourful and simple curry.

I remember the first time I made this dish, it was 2009 we were moving back to Japan from our short stay in Hong Kong and we were staying in a service apartment for a few months. I didn’t have many spices, pans and spice blends but I was still cooking every day. One day all I had in my fridge was a lot of tomatoes, ginger and a few spices, I made this chicken curry for my husband, he quite liked it! Once I moved in my flat I made it again with a few changes and he absolutely loved it and this is how the Chicken Tomato Kadhai came about.

This Chicken Tomato Kadhai is fairly a simple preparation and it gets most of its flavour from tomatoes and slow cooking. This curry goes well with fresh parathas ( Indian flatbread) or Naan or just simple plain rice.

If you are a Chicken lover then check this Andhra Chicken and Chettinad Chicken recipes out.

This is how you make this recipe!

Ingredients for marination:

• 750 g chicken pieces cut in cubes you can use thigh or leg pieces.
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 teaspoon ginger minced
• 1 teaspoon chilli powder
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1/2 lemon squeezed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Ingredients for curry:

• 1 small red onion or 2 banana shallots sliced
• 4 tomatoes cut in cubes
• 100 ml canned chopped tomatoes
• 1/2 inch ginger and 1 teaspoon cumin crushed in mortar pestle, you can use a heavy pot or rolling pin too.
• 1 inch ginger cut in julienne
• 3 green chillies cut in half
• 2 bay leaves, 2 cinnamon sticks and few black peppercorns (optional) but do put it gives a good aroma
• 1 1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoon black pepper powder, you can adjust more or less as per your taste.
• 1 teaspoon chilli powder (red pepper)
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon garam masala powder
• Salt to taste
• ¼ cup cream
• 3 tablespoons mustard oil or vegetable oil.

Instructions:

Mix all the ingredients mentioned for marination for chicken together and keep it aside for 15-30 minutes.

Heat 1 tsp oil in a skillet. Add the julienne ginger and green chillies. Fry them for 1 minute. Take it out with a slotted spoon and keep it aside. Now add the crushed ginger/cumin, bay leaves, cinnamon sticks and black peppercorns and fry it for another minute.

Heat 1 tbsp oil and add the marinated chicken pieces and brown them from both the side. Keep them aside.

Now heat rest of the oil, add sliced onions/shallots and fry them until they are transparent. Now add turmeric powder, chilli powder and rest of the spice powders apart from garam masala. Fry for another minute or so and add tomatoes.

Fry the tomatoes for about 10 minutes till the oil separates. Now add the marinated browned chicken. Fry the chicken with tomatoes for 5 minutes. Now add some water and cover it for 5 minutes. Uncover and stir it, add garam masala. Cover it  cook it may be for another 15-20 minutes or keep checking every 5 minutes. In last 5 minutes add cream and cook. You can also slow cook this chicken by transferring the wok on another pan with water (sort of like a bain marie method) and cook it for 60 minutes. 

Garnish it with the fried green chillies, ginger and fresh coriander!

Serve hot with some steamed basmati rice or parathas.

Enjoy!