Ginger Chicken

Chicken cooked in spicy gravy with lots of ginger.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound chicken pieces of your choice (with or without bones and skin)
• 2 tbsp fresh yogurt
• 1 tbsp sour cream
• 1 tbsp garam masala
• 1 large onion finely sliced
• 1 medium tomatoes chopped fine
• 1 tbsp coriander powder
• ½ tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• 1"stick of cinnamon
• 1 tsp caraway seeds
• 1 large bay leaf
• Salt to taste
• 4"piece of ginger cut into juliennes
• ½ cup cooking oil
• Chopped fresh coriander leaves to garnish

Method:

• Put the yogurt in a large mixing bowl and add the powdered spice mix. Blend all ingredients to a smooth paste with a whisker. Add the chicken to this marinade and mix to coat on all sides. Cover and keep aside for 30 minutes.
• Heat the oil in a deep pan on a medium flame. Add cinnamon, caraway seeds, bay leaf and fry till they change their color. Now add the onions and fry till they are light golden. Add the tomatoes and fry till they are pulpy.
• Add the chicken pieces and stir fry for 10 minutes till the chicken is sealed and browned on all sides.
• Mix in marinade and ½ cup of water, stir and cover the pan.Reduce the flame to simmer till the chicken is almost done.
• Add the sour cream, ginger (keep a little aside for garnishing), stir and increase the flame to medium. Cook till most of the gravy has dried up.
• Turn off fire, garnish with remaining ginger and chopped coriander and serve with hot roti (Indian flatbread) or parathas.

Do you know?

Ginger was well-known to the ancient Romans. It nearly disappeared in Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire. After the Marco Polo's trip to the Far East, ginger came back into flavor in Europe and became a very expensive spice.

Ginger is quite popular in the Caribbean Islands, where it grows wild in lush tropical settings. Jamaican ginger is prized for its strong, perky flavor, and this island currently provides most of the world's supply, followed by India, Africa and China.

Ginger is believed to help the common cold, flu-like symptoms, headaches. Ginger has a sialagogue action, stimulating the production of saliva.