Bombay Chicken curry is a fragrant, creamy, tasty curry which has lost its popularity in recent times amid of the chicken tikkas. kormas and butter chicken curries.
Let me take you back in time to understand how this recipe came about. The Portuguese seized the swampy islands on which the city is located in 1534 and called the area Bom Bahia, the ‘good bay’. The name was based more on wishful thinking than reality, for the Portuguese fort faced constant attacks from surrounding Indian rulers and rival English and Dutch traders. The settlement was finally handed over to England as part of the dowry of Catherine of Braganza, sister of the Portuguese ruler, when she married King Charles II in 1662. 1689–90 siege of Bombay by Mughals was the final act in the First Anglo-Mughal War, started by the English East India Company in the mid 1680s in an attempt to improve its terms of trade.
So with so many different cultures intermingled into one, there was a huge scope of different cuisines amalgamating to form some unforgettable delectable flavours and recipes.
Bombay chicken curry can be either cooked with boneless chicken pieces or as a one pot roast chicken. The one I am sharing with you is the boneless version which has it roots from the Mughlai and Anglo-Indian cuisines and was served in most of the small eateries and cafés back in the good old days when Mumbai was still known as Bombay.
RECIPE
Ingredients:
- Boneless Chicken thighs x 500g
- Onions x 2
- Yogurt
- Green chillies
- Ginger Garlic paste- 2 tsp
- Readymade tomato purée or paste - 1 cup
- Yogurt - 4 tbsp
- Cashew paste - 2 tbsp or 12 cashews
- Green Chillies sliced x 3
- Refined Oil- 3 tbsp
- Coriander leaves chopped- 2 tbsp
For Marination:
- Salt- 1 tsp
- Crushed Pepper- 3/4 tsp
- Turmeric Powder 1/2 tsp
- Red Chilli Powder
- 1.5 tsp - Coriander Powder
- 2 tsp - Cumin Powder
- 1/2 tsp - Garam Masala Powder
- 3/4 tsp - Kasuri Methi (Dried Fenugreek leaves)
- 2 tsp
Preparation:
- Cut the boneless chicken thighs into 1” pieces. Marinate with salt and crushed pepper. Mix and set aside for 30 mins
- Make a paste of the cashew nuts.
- To make cashew paste, add the whole cashews into a grinder/blender and coarse grind into a fine powder. Add 3 tbsp water and blend into a smooth paste. Set aside for use later.
- Slice the onions, green chillies and chop the coriander leaves for garnish.
- For tomato purée/paste, use readymade tomato purée or blend 2 medium red ripe tomatoes into a paste and use that instead.
- Dry roast the Kasuri Methi (dried Fenugreek leaves) and crush it into a coarse powder with your hand.
Process:
- Heat oil in a wok and add the grated onion. Fry on medium heat for 4-5 mins till the colour changes.
- Add the ginger garlic paste, mix and continue to fry on low to medium heat for 2-3 mins.
- Add the marinated chicken, mix and fry on high heat for 1-2 mins till the colour changes to white and slightly browned.
- Add all the spice powders other than Garam Masala Powder and Kasuri Methi, mix and fry on medium heat for 3-4 mins.
- Now add the tomato purée, give a mix and fry on medium to low heat for 3-4 mins till it’s cooked and oil separates.
- Next add the cashew paste and whisked curd/yogurt, mix it well and cook on low heat for 2 mins till oil separates.
- Add 150 ml water and sliced green chillies, give a stir and cover & cook on low heat for 15 mins till the chicken is cooked and oil separates.
- Finally add the garam masala powder and crushed Kasuri Methi (Fenugreek leaves), give a mix and simmer on low heat for 2-3 mins.
- To finish off garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot.
Nutritional information:
13.1g fat, 3.5g sat fat, 48g protein, 63.6g carbs, 13.8g sugar, 7.6g fibre.
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