Spicy pepper chicken curry ~ peas pulao

I love everything about autumn. Dazzling colors, cold nights, the smell of apple spice, pumpkin lattes and drizzly days like the one we have since morning. Its just the right weather to crave for a spicy yet comforting food. So, sipping a cup of hot coffee in my comfy couch I started digging my recipe files trying to decide what to make for lunch and look what I found? A simple spicy and aromatic dish that is sure to comfort your soul on days like this. Serve it with peas pulao or roti, it equally tastes delicious. Here’s how to make it….

Ingredients for the curry: (Serves 2-4 persons)

1 lb boneless chicken – cut into chunks

6-7 tbsps cooking oil

1 tsp cumin seeds

5-6 fresh curry leaves

2 bay leaves

3 cloves (lavangalu)

2 elaichi

1 ” cinnamon stick (dalchini)

6 green chillies (slit into halves)

1 large onion – finely chopped (about 1 cup of finely chopped onions)

pinch of turmeric

salt to taste

1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste

1 tbsp coriander powder

1 tsp cumin powder

½ fennel seed powder (saunf powder)

3 medium tomatoes (finely chopped)

1 tsp kashmir chilli powder

1 tsp coarsely ground pepper powder

chopped cilantro

How to :

• In a deep skillet, heat oil on medium.
• Add cumin seeds, cloves, bay leaf, cinnamon stick, elaichi, and saute for a few seconds
• Add green chillies, curry leaves, chopped onions, turmeric, salt and saute for about 5-7 minutes on medium flame until the onions turn golden brown in color
• Add ginger-garlic paste and saute for a minute until the rawness disappears.
• Add chopped tomatoes, cumin powder, coriander powder, chilli powder and fennel seed powder. combine. let it cook on medium flame until all the tomatoes turn soft and resemble a thick gravy.
• Add diced chicken pieces and mix well with the gravy.
• Cover and cook on medium flame until the chicken is cooked.
• Remove the lid and add ground pepper powder. combine and add freshly chopped cilantro. Turn off the flame.
• Serve  hot with peas pulao (recipe follows) and/or roti.

Peas pulao

Ingredients for peas pulao: (Serves 2-4 persons)

1 cup basmati rice

½ cup fresh green peas

1 tbsp cooking oil

1 tsp shahi jeera

2 bay leafs

1 tsp ginger – garlic paste

salt to taste

How To:

• Heat oil in a pressure cooker or a deep sauce pan.
• Add shahi jeera, and bay leaf. saute for a few seconds until a nice aroma comes out.
• Add fresh green peas and saute for about 2 – 3 minutes on medium high
• Add ginger-garlic paste and saute for about a minute until the rawness disappears.
• Add basmati rice and stir gently for about a minute.
• Add 1.5 cups of water, salt to taste. Do the taste test. If the water is salty it would have the right amount of salt by the time the pulao is cooked.
• Cover with a lid and cook until 2 whistles on high flame or if cooking in a sauce pan cook on medium flame until all the water evaporates and the rice is cooked thru.
• Remove the lid after the pressure goes off if cooking in a pressure cooker and serve hot with spicy chicken curry