Indian cuisine · Meat & Kebab

Murgh Achari

Chicken in pickling spices of mustard, fennel and black cumin, rounded off tangy with yogurt.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 800 g boneless chicken thigh
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 tbsp black cumin (kalonji)
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 3 onions
• 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
• 300 g yogurt
• 2 tsp Kashmiri chili powder
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 4 tbsp mustard oil (or rapeseed oil)
• Salt

Instructions

1. Cut the chicken into 4 cm pieces and mix with the smoothly stirred yogurt, turmeric, chili powder and 1 tsp salt; let steep for 30 min.
2. Toast the mustard, fennel and cumin seeds together with the black cumin in a dry pan for 1 min. until fragrant, and grind coarsely.
3. Heat the mustard oil in a wide pot to smoking point, let it cool briefly - this takes off its sharpness - and fry the finely diced onions in it for 10-12 min. until golden-brown.
4. Fry in the ginger-garlic paste and the ground spice mixture for 2 min. until the oil clearly changes color.
5. Add the chicken with its marinade and braise covered over low heat for 20-25 min., stirring twice so the yogurt doesn't catch.
6. Remove the lid, reduce uncovered for 5-8 min. until the sauce clings thick to the meat and the oil separates out, salt and serve with paratha.