Try this Kadai chicken recipe.
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 cup chopped onions
- salt as needed
- few coriander leaves chopped finely
- 250 grams chicken with bone or boneless
- 3/4 cup cubed capsicums/bell peppers
- 1/2 cup onions cubed and layers separated (optional but adds good flavour)
- 1 cup ripe sweet tomatoes chopped and pureed
- 1 1/2 tbsp. oil (adjust as needed)
- 1 broken red chili deseeded
- 1 tsp. ginger garlic paste
- 3/4 tsp garam masala powder mixed with 1/4 tsp. red chili
- 1/8 tsp. garam masala powder
- 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. kashmiri red chilli powder
- 10 cashewnuts or 1/4 cup cream
- Carbohydrate 1.86758666666667 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 0.0581391666666667 g
- Fiber 0.344208342472712 g
- Protein 0.242000833333333 g
- Saturated Fat 0.01073625 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (19g)
- Sodium 52.738 mg
- Sugar 1.52337832419395 g
- Trans Fat 0.0113446666666667 g
- Calories 8 calories
Step-by-step
- Add chopped tomatoes to a blender and puree them. You can skip this step if u don’t mind using tomatoes directly.
- Soak cashews in warm water for 10 minutes and make a fine paste adding little water. You can skip this step if using cream.
- Add oil to a kadai/wok and fry capsicum and cubed onion for 2 minutes, till you begin to smell them good. Transfer to a plate and keep it aside.
- To the same kadai add broken chili, cumin and fry till the cumin begins to splutter.
- Add onions and fry till golden.
- Add ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw smell goes off. Do not burn it.
- Add chicken and fry for just one to two minutes.
- Cover and cook till it is almost cooked in its own moisture.
- Add kadai masala or garam masala with red chili powder. Mix and fry well for just two minutes.
- Add tomato puree and salt. Mix and cook till almost the raw smell goes off from the tomatoes and the masala thickens. This takes about 5 minutes on a low to medium flame.
- Add sauted onions and capsicums. Mix and continue to cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add cashew paste and mix. If desired you can add more red chili powder to bring a good color to the gravy. Cook till the gravy thickens to your desired consistency. If using cream, pour the cream to a bowl, take a portion of the tomato mixture and mix with cream. Add back to the kadai and stir well. Off the heat.
- Do not overcook kadai chicken. Capsicum and onions should be crunchy.
- Sprinkle garam masala and coriander leaves. Mix well and cook for just one to two minutes. Off the stove.
Swapping the heavy cream for soaked cashew paste transforms this dish into a dairy-free preparation while yielding a much thicker, glossier sauce that clings tightly to the meat. Fresh tomatoes provide the primary liquid base, meaning the quality of the produce dictates the final sweetness of the curry. Ripe fruit reduces the need for added sugars.
Freezing and Reheating Strategies
Cooked poultry handles the freezer well when stored in airtight glass containers for up to two months. Dairy emulsions break during the freezing process, so freeze the curry before stirring in the cashew paste or heavy cream. Thaw the base overnight in the refrigerator. Reheat the thawed mixture gently on the stove over medium-low heat until steaming. Stir in the freshly made cashew paste or cream during the final two minutes of warming to preserve the texture of the sauce.
- Overcooking the bell peppers removes their essential crispness. Fry them for precisely two minutes initially, then return them to the pan for only three minutes at the end.
- Burning the ginger-garlic paste creates bitter notes that overpower the spices. Keep the heat moderate and stir constantly until the raw aroma dissipates.
