Murgh Kasuri Methi (Chicken with Dry Fenugreek Leaves)
This chile pepper gets its name from its origin. In Spanish, serrano is an adjective meaning “from the mountains” which is where it originated-in the mountains of Hildalgo, Mexico. The serrano is normally about twice as hot as Jalapeno (about 10,000 to 15,000 Scoville units). It is the second most popular chile pepper in Mexico. This chile is used mostly for salsas but can also be used in soups, sauces, chili or stews. Try these as a hotter substitute for Jalapeno.
Ingredients:
6 Whole chicken legs
8 Tbsp unsweetened yogurt (for marination)
3 tsp Salt (for marination)
1 tsp Salt (for gravy)
4 Tbsp Ghee (preferred) or oil
1 Bay leaf
1 Dry red chile
4 Fresh red or green chiles
2 Whole cinnamon sticks (one-inch)
1 Whole black cardamom
4 Whole green cardamoms
6 Cloves
6 Black peppercorns
1 tsp Cumin seeds
1/4 tsp Nutmeg powder
1/4 tsp Mace (dried flower of nutmeg tree)
1/2 Onion (cut lengthwise, thinly)
3/4 cup Onion paste
5 Tbsp Garlic paste
2 tsp Ginger paste
1 tsp Cumin powder
3/4 tsp Turmeric powder
3 Tbsp Dry fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)
2 Tbsp Cashewnut paste
1 1/2 tsp Red chile powder (optional)
3 cups water
Instructions:
Marinate the chicken legs at least for five hours in the refrigerator with just yogurt and 3 tsp salt.
In a heavy-bottomed wok or skillet, add ghee or oil and wait till it smokes. Add the dry red chile, bay leaf, whole cinnamon sticks, whole black cardamom, green cardamoms, cloves, black peppercorns and cumin seeds into this (the flame should be medium) and wait till the cumin seeds just turn dark brown. Immediately add the finely cut (lengthwise) onions and sauté till they turn brownish.
Add the onion paste, nutmeg powder, mace and turmeric powder and sauté for 2 min. Add the garlic and ginger pastes now, along with the salt. Sauté till the mixture releases oil (takes 7–10 min on a medium flame).At this point, add the thick cashewnut paste.
Add 3 tbsp water. Give this a stir and cook on a medium flame for 5 min. Now add the marinated chicken, alongwith the cumin powder and the kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves).Smear the chicken with this mixture evenly. Cover the lid and cook over a medium flame for 30 min. You will notice that the chicken would acquire a brown tinge. Add the rest of the salt, red chilli powder (optional) and fresh chillies with 3 cups of water and mix again. Simmer the flame to the lowest, put the lid and go to sleep for 1 hour. Slow-cooking will lead to the perfectly succulent chicken legs with all the flavours reaching down to the deepest part of the chicken. Serve with rice, pulau (pulav or pilaf), roti, poori, paratha or naan.
From cosmopolitancurrymania.blogspot.com