I have a story to share with you which is directly related to this recipe. There were days when I would just sit in front of the TV to watch my favorite cooking shows and note down the recipes in those leather-bound diaries.
Most of the recipes would make their way to the dinner plate but few of them would still be in form of words and letters. It is not very uncommon to have such diaries with handwritten recipes, and I am sure most of them still have the habit of doing so even in this ‘techie world’.
As the days passed by, I started experimenting with recipes on my own, and somehow I could manage to make a decent meal, sometimes it would be some exotic and out-of-the-world curry, and at times it would turn out to be a disaster.
Whether it is a masterpiece or a disaster, both are accepted as the masterpiece turns into a lovely blog post and disaster makes me learn many more things to get better at it. And guess what? I am digging into my old diaries to find more such treasures and goodies to transform them into blog posts and share them with all my readers.
As I was going through the treasures of those rustic leather-bound diaries I stumbled upon a recipe that was not from any cooking show or a weekly magazine. I guess I had tried to make a curry and it turned out to be a super hit, and then I decided to write it down before it got erased from my mind. I have marked those recipes by giving a tag ‘My style’ or ‘Shan Style’. Just to make sure that these recipes do not get mixed with others.
Malai Methi Chicken is one such recipe that I had prepared on my own. But let me tell you, Methi leaves were an extra addition to it just to add the extra seasonal flavor to the dish. Even without adding this herb, the curry tastes absolutely delicious. When I had this combination of Malai Methi Chicken with Jeera Pulao which was served on a single plate just how it looks like in the picture, it reminded me of the food which is served on the flight. There is no hard and fast rule that the curry has to be served with rice, it even tastes heavenly with nice butter naan, khubz (Arabic style bread), or even with a nice homemade paratha.
Malai Methi Chicken with Jeera Pulao
Ingredients
- 1 kilogram chicken pieces cut into small size
- 1 cup finely sliced onion 2 medium
- 1 cup chopped tomato 2 medium & ripe
- 3 cups chopped methi leaves fresh fenugreek
- ½ cup chopped coriander leaves
- 2 green chilies chopped or just a slit
- 2 teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon white pepper powder
- 2 tablespoon cashew nut paste
- 2 tablespoon cream
Whole spices:
- 1 piece cinnamon 1 inch
- 4 cloves
- 4 green cardamoms
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ¾ salt
- 5 tablespoon butter or ghee or cooking oil
For marinade:
- 3 tablespoon yogurt
- 1 tablespoon ginger & garlic paste combined
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
For Jeera Pulao:
- 4 cups basmati rice
- 1 small onion sliced
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- 2 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 8 cups water
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoon ghee
Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients for the marinade and add chicken pieces to it. Marinate for 1 hour.
- Heat butter or ghee in a saucepan and add all the whole spices. Once it starts to crackle, add chopped onion and green chilies. Fry until lightly golden.
- Now add chopped tomatoes and fry till it softens. Add the marinated chicken pieces and fry on high heat for 2 minutes or till the juice gets sealed.
- Reduce the heat and add 2 teaspoon coriander powder, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder, 1/2 teaspoon white pepper powder, and a bit of salt. Stir well, cover, and cook for 10 minutes on medium heat.
- Then add chopped methi leaves and cashew nut paste. Mix well and again cook for 10 more minutes or till the chicken is fully done.
- Finally, add cream and chopped coriander leaves and cook for 2 minutes on low heat.
- Serve hot with Jeera pulao.
For Jeera Pulao:
- Wash the rice and soak for 30 minutes. Discard the water.
- Heat ghee in a large non-stick saucepan and add 2 teaspoon cumin seeds. Wait until the seeds start to crackle and slightly change color, then add sliced onion and grated ginger. Fry until the onion turns soft (not brown) and then add 8 cups of water, salt, and white vinegar.
- Cover with lid and let the water boil.
- Now add soaked rice and stir gently. Place the lid and cook on medium to low heat for 10 minutes or till all the water has dried and rice is cooked.
- Open the lid and gently stir and loosen up the sides to allow the trapped steam to escape. Remove from heat and keep covered for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.
- Serve hot.
If you have any queries regarding the recipe, do mention it in the comments section and I shall get back to you.
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