Kadai Chicken
I tasted this dish quite a while ago, but I never felt like cooking it or needed to. That changed fairly recently, when I started watching videos by the brilliant chef Ranveer Brar. Here I'd like to bring his recipes a little closer to you. Cooking from videos can sometimes be tricky, so I've written everything down step by step.
What do I need for Kadai Chicken?
For the kadai masala
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 dried red chilli
For the dish itself
2 larger red onions
1 smaller red onion
1 yellow or red bell pepper
3 larger tomatoes
A 1 cm piece of ginger
4 to 6 cloves of garlic
2 green chillies
1 tbsp ghee
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp chilli powder (you can leave it out if you have green chillies, it's devilishly hot with both)
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 and ½ tsp red paprika (it doesn't matter which kind, it's mostly there for colour)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp Kadai Masala
Water
1 tsp Garam Masala
How do I make it?
First of all, get everything ready. I've never been a fan of a ton of little bowls and plates on the table, but in some cases it's better. Chinese chow mein noodles, for example. You'd get completely lost in that recipe, and above all you need to add the ingredients quite quickly one after another. But let's get back to Kadai Chicken.
1. At the very beginning you need to make the Kadai Masala (a spice mix). How much you make depends on whether you want it just once, right now, or plan to cook the dish more often. My amount is enough for about three or four batches. And how? Get a pan ready. No oil. Add a teaspoon of fennel seeds, a teaspoon of cumin seeds, a teaspoon of coriander seeds and a teaspoon of black peppercorns (a dried red chilli belongs in the mix too, but most people don't have one at home). Then dry roast the spices and finally grind them. Some people use a machine, I crush them into powder in a mortar.
CAREFUL! It's very easy to burn the spices, and then your food tastes bitter.
2. As I said, preparation matters. First cut up the chicken. I recommend chicken on the bone, like legs and wings. But definitely don't leave them whole. Split the legs at the joint and cut the bigger part in half again (you can remove the skin, but you don't have to. At home I love the skin, but my partner doesn't want it, so I take it off.). Then score the meat on top so it cooks better (some people don't like chicken on the bone, in that case you can use chicken breast cut into bigger pieces). You have two bigger onions and one smaller one. Chop the two bigger ones finely and cut the smaller one into larger pieces. Don't mix them. Next, cut a red or yellow bell pepper into larger pieces (personally I like my food more colourful, so I use the yellow one). Finally, chop the green chillies into smaller pieces and blend the tomatoes into a paste.
3. And then it's go time. Get a deep pan ready and pour in some oil (just enough). Briefly fry the yellow (or red) bell pepper and the onion cut into larger pieces. Honestly, I don't really watch the time, but the vegetables need to be tender and soft, not burnt and crunchy. Then put the vegetables aside on a plate.
4. Leave the oil from the vegetables in the pan. Add a tablespoon of ghee (not essential, oil is fine too) and add 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds (our regular caraway isn't as good in these dishes). Let it release its aroma, but definitely don't burn it, then add 1 teaspoon of black peppercorns and 1 teaspoon of chilli powder (you can leave it out if you have green chillies, it's devilishly hot with both). Keep the flame low. Then add the finely chopped onion with the green chilli. Fry until it browns, but be careful not to burn the onion! Add the finely chopped ginger and garlic. (Ginger garlic paste is best, but it works out more expensive than fresh ingredients finely chopped or ground. How you cut the ginger and garlic isn't what matters.)
Turn up the flame and add the chicken to the mixture, searing it hard. Then keep cooking the meat on a low flame for about 2 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder, 1 and ½ teaspoons of red paprika (it doesn't matter which kind, it's mostly there for colour, but I don't recommend chilli...) and 1 teaspoon of salt. Carry on over a low flame for another 2 or 3 minutes and add the tomato paste. After another 2 minutes add the prepared Kadai Masala and top up with water. I can't give you an exact amount, but pour it in slowly so the sauce stays thick and you don't end up with soup. Let it bubble for about 10 minutes and then add the vegetables you fried earlier (onion and pepper). Then 1 teaspoon of Garam Masala, and leave it for 5 minutes on a low flame.
I'm sorry I haven't added an authentic final photo of how the dish should look, but unfortunately I forgot to take one. I'll add it as soon as I cook it again.
I hope you enjoy cooking from my recipe, and I'd really appreciate your feedback!
Yours, Mimosa
You might also like
Mimosa Confiante
By day, I work somewhere between marketing, copy and campaigns; by night, I usually end up somewhere between fanfiction, cosplay and yet another “what if” that refuses to leave me alone. I write mainly in the Harry Potter and Mo Dao Zu Shi fandoms, most often Snarry, Snamione, HarryLu and WangXian. My healthcare background means that anatomy, medicine and far too much research occasionally find their way into my stories. Cosplay is another way for me to play with the characters I love, whether I stay close to canon or turn them into my own fanfiction and AU versions. In Diary of a Slytherin Girl with ADHD, I write openly about life with a brain that usually has far too many tabs open at once.
📖 More stories on AO3 and Wattpad · 📸 Instagram · 🎥 TikTok · 👉 More about me
