Murgh Kali Mirch - How to make Black Pepper Chicken
Murgh Kali Mirch. A flavorful black pepper chicken dish made using freshly ground whole spices.
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb Chicken Thighs (you may use boneless/ bone-in or a mix of both)
- ¾ cup Greek/thick yogurt
- 2 tbsp Ginger Garlic paste
- 1 tbsp Coarsely ground black peper
- 1 tsp Kashmiri Red Chili Powder (optional)
- 1 Large Red Onion (finely sliced)
- 2 Garlic cloves
- 1 Piece of Ginger (about an inch long)
- 1-2 Green chilies
- 2 tbsp Coriander seeds
- 1 tbsp Cumin seeds
- 2 tbsp Black peppercorns
- ½ tsp Fennel seeds
- ½ tsp Fenugreek seeds
- 10 Curry leaves
- ¼ cup Finely chopped coriander leaves
- 4 tbsp Oil of your choice (I used Avocado oil)
- 1 tsp Ghee (optional)
- Salt (to taste)
Instructions
- Take the chicken and cut into 1.5 inch pieces and keep aside.
- In a bowl, add the yogurt, ginger garlic paste, black pepper and kashmiri red chili powder. Add about 1 teaspoon salt and give this a mix. Add the chicken pieces, mix very well. Cover, refrigerate and let marinate for about an hour or two. You can also let this marinate overnight if you have the time.
- In a small pan, add the coriander, cumin, fennel and fenugreek seeds. Let them roast on low flame for about 2-3 minutes only until then fragnant and lighty toasted. Do ensure that they do not burn.
- Coarsely grind them on a stone mortar and pestle preferably. Thats how I like to grind the whole spices. If not, you may use a spice/ coffee grinder to make a coarse spice blend.
- Coarsely grind the ginger, garlic cloves and green chilies as well.
- Heat a Dutch oven or a heavy bottomed pan. Add oil and let it turn warm.
- Add the ginger garlic chili paste. Let it saute for 2-3 minutes after which add the finely sliced onions. Cook these for about 5-7 minutes until they become light golden brown.
- If you have marinated the chicken, remove from the refrigerator at least 30-45 minutes prior to cooking. After removing, transfer the marinated chicken into the pan and give it a good mix. At this stage, add the curry leaves too.
- Keep stirring the chicken for about 10 minutes on medium flame, after which cover the pan and let cook on low to medium flame.
- Remove the lid after 20 minutes, add the coarse dry spice mix and mix well with the chicken. Checking for seasoning and add any extra salt if needed.
- Add a cup (or two) of warm water depending on the desired consistency, mix and let the chicken cook covered for another 10 minutes or so.
- Switch off the flame when the chicken has cooked through and keep the pan covered for a minimum of 30 minutes to let all the flavors soak in well.
- Serve hot garnished with chopped coriander leaves and a tablespoon of ghee (optional). This chicken is good with parathas, ghee rice and even dosas.