Palak Chicken

Sometimes the most basic of food hits the sweetest spot. 

I started out imagining a nice palak paneer in my head, but halfway through it, my husband sticks his head into the kitchen and goes: “What are you cooking, it smells like meat.” This changed my mind and from there grew the idea of a palak chicken dish - made with a slight North Indian influence.

I would never eat this kind of food without inviting over one of dearest friends and biggest food fans. He and his wife loved it (and that’s all the praise I need). They also helped with the plating. I guess they weren’t wrong. Soul food doesn’t need fancy plating, it needs to go back to the basics!

My version of this simple fare:

Ingredients

3 bunch fresh spinach, cleaned & chopped into thin strips
½ bunch fresh methi (optional)

500 gm boneless chicken

4 onions, chopped fine

4 tomatoes, chopped fine

Garlic paste

Ginger paste

Green chilli paste

Dry masalas - jeera, hing, red chilli powder, haldi powder, dhania / jeera powder, garam masala

Salt to taste

Ghee

Oil

Method

Heat a tablespoon of oil with the jeera and hing. As soon as it starts bubbling, add the onions and cook (on a slow flame) till transparent. Add in the ginger, garlic and green chilli pastes and cook for a bit.

Add the dry masalas (except for the garam masala), saute well. Then add the tomatoes and cook till the oil releases (or all the tomatoes are broken down and most of the water has dried). 

Meanwhile in another pan, heat a teaspoon of oil mixed with a teaspoon of ghee and add the chicken with a little salt. Cook till the water releases and dries. 

Once the tomatoes are done, fold in the chopped spinach and methi (if using) bit by bit till it is mixed through and add a pinch of salt to this. Cover and cook on a slow flame, for 10 minutes, stirring once. 

Open the pan, cook for 5 mins till some water burns of. Then add the chicken and some garam masala and some water. Once again cover and cook on a slow flame for about 10 to 15 mins, stirring occasionally.  

Uncover the pan, check the seasoning, cook till the consistency is something you are happy with and eat hot!

pictures by ime © 

Notes

When I make this, I do not increase the flame till the absolute last step, I prefer to slow cook this from start to finish. 

Yummy accompaniments are onions (with lemon and salt), haldi achaar (two kinds of haldi with lemon and salt) and garam garam rotis (would work with rotlas too). 

I put chicken in this, but I know this would work as well with paneer or fish, or mutton, or even without any additions. 

I hope you make it and I hope you enjoy it. 

Best wishes for 2015 from IME’s Kitchen!!!