Chicken is my husbands favourite ingredient and he loves curry so its obvious that I make this Kadhai chicken for him often. Kadhai Chicken is a flavourful curry with a blend of various spices. You can enjoy this dish with naan, roti, rice or parantha. Kadhai dishes usually also include bell peppers. Although Kadhai referes to a kind of dish ( sort of Wok) in which the dish is made, you can prepare it in any pan/skillet that you have in your kitchen. Here is a recipe for Kadhai Masala Spice Mix.
Ingredients/ Method for the Recipe
400 gms boneless/skinless chicken
1 cup bell peppers of your choice chopped in bite size pieces
oil for cooking
1 bay leaf
1 cinnamon stick
Salt per taste ( 1 tsp worked for us)
2-3 tomatoes
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 onion chopped
Cilantro for garnish
1 tsp dried Fenugreek Leaves
2 tbsp greek yogurt/ Whipping cream or sour cream
optional- Green chillies (chopped)- your choice seeded or deseeded
To prepare Kadhai Masala/Spice blend
(masala would be enough to prepare 1-2 curry dishes)
12-15 Black peppercorn
5-6 green cardamom pods
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1.5 tbsp coriander seeds
5-6 cloves
You can also grind bay leaf and cinnamon stick or use them as such in your dish
Dry roast all your whole spices and then grind them to make a powder (masala) and you it in your dishes ( towards the end of the preparation method)
In a wok, add oil. Let oil become hot and Fry bay leaf and cinnamon stick for 30 secs.
Add ginger-garlic paste and onions. Mix well. Give a minute or two and add salt, turmeric and red chilli powder. Mix well. Cook until onions are no longer raw and change color. About 3-4 mins
Add chillies and tomatoes. Mix well. Cook until tomatoes reduce in volume and no longer raw. This will take 4-5 mins on med heat.
Add chicken. Let it cook for another 2-3 mins and then bell peppers. We dont want peppers to wilt completely. They should maintain some of their crunch. Add some water. Cover and cook until chicken is no longer raw.
Add kadhai masala, Yogurt and fenugreek leaves.
Garnish with cilantro leaves. Mix well and serve.
