Chicken Pasanda with Fleshy Red Chillies

For the Marinade :

Yoghourt – 4 tblspns
Ginger garlic paste – 2 tspns
Turmeric powder – 1/4tspn
Coriander powder – 1 tspn
Cumin powder – ½ tspn
Red chilly powder (*resham patti) – 1 tspn
Garam masala powder – ½ tspn
Lemon juice – 1 tblspn
Oil – 2 tblspns
Salt – ½ tspn
Orange coloring – a pinch

* A medium hot chilly powder which gives a distinct flavour and nice red color to the dish. Desi brand is recommended.

For the Curry:

Oil – 2 tblspns
Onion – 1 large
Ginger garlic paste – 1 tspn
Turmeric – ¼ tspn
Red chilly powder – 1 tspn
Coriander powder – 1 tspn
Star anise – 2 or 3
Cloves – 3 or 4
Saunf – 1 tspn
Red fleshy chillies (*Red jinta chillies) -3 or 4
Sour cream – 2 tblspn
Milk – ½ cup

*Fresh Red Jinta Chillies With their thick, fleshy skin and distinctive flavour, these chillies are perfect for spicing up soups and stirfries. The 8cm long waxy red pods have flavoursome flesh and hot seeds making them a good all rounder.


Method: 
1. Cut the chicken pieces in flat square pieces and pound them lightly with a knife making zig zag lines on both the sides without mincing the chicken. Smear them with salt and lemon juice and leave for 10 minutes.

2. Mix all the ingredients to prepare the marinade and and let the chicken pieces marinate in this paste and leave for one to 2 hrs.

3. Broil the chicken pieces on each side for 3 minutes.
4. To prepare the curry, heat a little oil, add cloves, fennel seeds, star anise and then sliced onions till golden brown. Add ginger garlic paste, turnmeric, coriander powder, red chilly powder, stir a little bit then add sour cream to make a nice paste.
5. Add broiled chicken with the liquid followed by red fleshy chillies cut into dices. Add milk and leave to simmer for sometime. Garnish with chopped coriander and serve hot with persian rice.