Chicken Pasanda ( Slow cooked pounded meat with Indian spices)

Today's recipe is perfect for any Sunday lunch. If you want to eat something rich, mouthwatering, lavish yet easy to prepare then this is a perfect recipe. to cook. Today's recipe is  Chicken Pasanda (Slow cooked pounded meat with Indian spices). This recipe is yet again from the kitchen of Mughals. It is one of the popular dishes in North India, Hyderabad. It is originally prepared with lamb and goat meat but nowadays chicken pasanda has also gained popularity amongst all. In this, the meat fillet is pounded into thin strips and then fried and slow cooked with various Indian spices. There are many methods for preparing this dish but this recipe is my take on it. However, you can make this recipe using any meat of your choice. In that case, the cooking time will vary accordingly.

In this recipe, I have used chicken breast piece, cut them vertically and then pounded them to thin slices. Marinated them with yoghurt and freshly ground Indian spices and ground roasted split chickpeas. Then fried them with onions and slow cooked for 40 minutes over a low flame. The process of slow cooking with help all the spices to infuse in the chicken pieces. The aroma of this recipe is different which will linger in your mind for long.

So here is my recipe:-

Preparation Time:- 20 minutes   Standing Time:- 30 + 10 minutes                        Cooking Time:- 50 minutes   Total Time:- 1 hr 50 minutes

Number Of Servings:- 2 - 3 persons

Measurements:-
1 cup = 250 ml
½ cup = 125ml
1 tablespoon = 15 ml
1 teaspoon = 5 ml
½ teaspoon = 2.5 ml
¼ teaspoon = 1.25 ml

Ingredients:-
1) Chicken Breast:- 400 grams (Sliced vertically into thin strips.)
2) Onions:- 4 large (thinly sliced into rings)
3) Ginger Paste:- 1 tablespoon
4) Yoghurt:- ½ cup
5) Coconut Milk:- ¼ cup
6) Roasted chana dal (Roasted split chickpeas):- 2 tablespoon
7) Poppy seeds:- ½teaspoon
8) Cumin Seeds:- 1teaspoon
9) Whole black pepper:- ½ teaspoon
10) Cloves:- 3
11) Green Cardamom:- 3
12) Black Cardamom:- ½ of 1 pod
13) Kashmiri Red Chilli powder:- 1 teaspoon
14) Sugar:- ½ teaspoon
15) Salt:- to taste
16) Oil:- 3 tablespoon
17) Water:- ½ + 2 cups
18) Meat Tenderizer:- ¼ teaspoon (optional, but I have used it)

Method:-
1. Take chicken breast piece and cut them vertically into thin strips. Now take a meat pounder and flatten the meat until very thin strips. (If your chicken strips are already very thin it is not needed. And if you don't have a meat pounder then roll it hard with a rolling pin. Keep it aside.

2. Take a blending jar and add roasted chana dal, poppy seeds, cumin seeds, whole black pepper, cloves, green cardamom, black cardamom, Kashmiri red chilli powder and yoghurt to it. Grind it to a fine paste add ginger paste to the paste and mix well. (You can grind the ginger along with the spices also.) Now add meat tenderizer and the ground paste to the chicken pieces. Massage well and keep it for marination for 30 minutes.

3. Now heat oil in a pan. Once hot add onions and ½teaspoon of sugar to it. Fry till it is golden brown in colour over medium heat.

4. Once done, carefully add the chicken pieces into the pan one by one. In the end, add all the yoghurt paste to it. Toss it gently and cook for 4 - 5 minutes over medium heat. Make sure that the onions don't burn. After 5 minutes add ½ cup of water to the pan cover and cook for 10 - 12 minutes.

5. After  12 minutes add coconut milk, 2 cups of water and salt to the pan. Mix gently, cover and cook for 25 minutes over a low heat. 

6. Check in between and flip the chicken pieces. Do not mix too much as it will break the chicken pieces. After 25 minutes the gravy will be thickened and the oil will float over the chicken. At that time check for seasoning and switch of the flame. Cover and let it stand for 10 minutes. Your Chicken Pasanda is ready to serve.

7. Take it out in a dish and serve hot.

Notes:- 
* If you don't get roasted chana dal then you can use roasted gram flour (Besan). In that case, add 1 tablespoon of it. Add to the blender with yoghurt. It will be mixed well with the other spices.

* People living outside India, and not aware of all the Indian spices, and roasted chana dal, you will mostly get all the spices in the Indian stores near your place. 

Serving Tip:- Serve this dish with any Indian Bread i.e. roti, paratha, naan or steamed rice.


Do try my recipe and leave for comments below. Till then Happy Cooking.!



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