Culinary Masterpiece by passionate Food blogger Deeba: Smoked Indian Chicken Curry / Dhungaar-e-Dum ka Murgh … a simple slow cooked baked Indian chicken curry

Image Posted on December 30, 2013 Updated on January 22, 2014

Author of passionateaboutbaking churns out a mouthwatering, smoky, sizzling culinary wonder in Nirlep’s hard anodized ebony.

Culinary Masterpiece by passionate Food blogger Deeba of http://www.passionateaboutbaking.com/

Read complete recipe and product experience here:

“People close to me called me ‘Curry in a Hurry.’
I was moving through life at 100 miles an hour trying to further my career and be a great mom and make everyone happy.”
Ann Curry

Smoked Indian Chicken Curry / Dhungaar-e-Dum ka Murgh … a simple slow cooked baked Indian chicken curry that makes life on the table seem somewhat easier. I normally cook curries on the stove top. This time was different, and it worked out quite well. Smoking it added a delicious dimension!

Read complete write-up here:

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From her post:

Smoked Indian Chicken Curry / Dhungaar-e-Dum ka Murgh … a simple slow cooked baked Indian chicken curry that makes life on the table seem somewhat easier. I normally cook curries on the stove top. This time was different, and it worked out quite well. Smoking it added a delicious dimension!

I haven’t posted a curry for ages even though I cook them often, including chicken and lamb korma. I’ve recently done a ‘butterless‘ butter chicken and the feedback was great. Mr PAB even commented saying it was better than buttery butter chicken!! At the time I took no pictures as it was still ‘work in progress‘…

Nirlep contacted me and asked if I would like to review any of their products. With a range as varied as Premium Steel Casseroles to a simple sandwich pan, I left it to them. All I asked for was something I could maybe pop into the oven, since I know they do a stove top range. Not that I don’t cook stove top {read I DO ALL THE TIME}, but the baking blog needed a connect!

They sent me a beautiful hard anodized handi, so I grabbed a chicken and set to work. The curry is simple as can be. It’s a simple overnight marination which tenderises the chicken. I cook it on the bone, but you can go boneless too if you like. This time I added green chutney to the marinade, some caramelised onions too. Experiment as you like because you never know what will hit the sweet spot!

As all Indian cooking, this curry works on beautiful ‘andaaz‘, eye balling as it is better known. A bit of this, a dash of that, a few green chillies for flavour, maybe a couple of beautiful red ones too. Mix it all in and marinade straight in the pot, and then throw into a low oven the next day. An hour and a half later, you have CURRY, a nice thick wrapped one!!

OR … heat a little clarified butter in the handi / pan {OK you can use oil}, caramelise some finely sliced onions, pick out the chicken pieces from the marinade and cook over high heat to seal the juices and get the pieces beautifully browned. Add the rest of the marinade, give it a quick gentle stir, seal tightly … into the oven again! Of course you could also cook over a very gentle stove top.

I have a few idea for the handi. A Basque Lamb Stew, kaali dal, stir fried veggies, Thai green curry, kadhi … all in the pipeline. Maybe a little ambitious but pot bread too. It’s quite cold {read freezing} here these days, so as soon as the weather lets up, it’ll be time to bake bread. Have to keep the yeast monsters happy!

What I love about the Nirlep Ebony Handi / anodized pot…
Good quality, feel good pot with a snug lid
The handles don’t get hot
Heavy duty
Convenient ergonomic design which is ideal for sauteing, cooking, heat distribution
That it goes from the stove into the oven, and back with ease
That you can serve right out of it, fuss free!
Easy clean up

Recipe: Dhungaar-e-Dum ka Murgh

Summary: Simple, smoked, delicious Indian chicken curry that can be baked {or cooked on the stove top}. A do ahead marination ensures very little work just before serving. Serve over steamed rice, naan, etc with a mixed greens salad.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours
Ingredients:
800g chicken on the bone, without skin,{1 whole} cut into 12 pieces
200g full fat yogurt, hung for 30 minutes
3 onions, 1 quartered, 2 sliced fine
2 tbsp ghee/clarified butter
5-6 cloves garlic
1″piece ginger
2-3 green chilies {deseed if required}
2 tsp garam masala
Juice of 1 lime
Salt to taste
3 tsps green chutney {optional}
1 stick cinnamon
1 small bunch fresh coriander, chopped fine
2-3 small red chilies, optional
Dhungaar / Smoke
1 small piece wood coal
3-4 drops melted ghee
Method:
Fry the 2 sliced onions in the ghee until crisp and golden brown.
Grind the quartered onion with ginger, garlic and lime juice to make a smooth paste.
In a large bowl, whisk the yogurt. Mix in the onion paste, caramelised onions, green chilies, red chilies if using, fresh coriander, stick of cinnamon, green chutney and garam masala. Add salt as required {you can taste it at this time to check}. Adjust seasoning if required.
Now mix in the chicken pieces well, turn into handi / casserole/ baking dish, cover tightly and leave to marinate in the fridge for a few hours, preferably overnight.
Place the handi/casserole in a bigger empty metal bowl. Place a tiny metal bowl half filled with water on the lid of the casserole.
Place in oven set at low heat and bake for about 1 1/2 hours. Let it sit for a while.
Open and stir gently to get the gravy uniform. Adjust salt if required. Add some more lime juice if you like, maybe some more fresh coriander. Smoke it if desired.
Make a tiny bowl with a aluminium foil. Place a hot burning coal in it and quickly drizzle a few drops of melted ghee/clarified butter over it. The coal will begin smoking immediately. Tightly shut the lid and leave for about half an hour.
Note: Left overs can be deboned and used in wraps {reduce the curry to almost dry}

ABOUT AUTHOR

Well, Deeba makes baking a beautiful assignment in the kitchen. Her visual shots are a benchmark for the ones truely passionate!

In her own words and that we completely stand by! :

A ‘locavore’, a ‘bake-a-holic’, an ‘absolut’ baker are synonymous with who I am, a reflection of the artisan baker and foodie in me. My mantra – ‘Bake From Scratch’. With the lack of international baking ingredients in the everyday Indian kitchen, join me in my culinary adventures as I try to conquer the oven!

“I am a non conformist, passionate & ‘rabid’ baker and blogger from Gurgaon, for whom visual appeal holds as much significance as healthy and delectable food. Any idea that grabs my fancy becomes a springboard for creativity.”

She also has many mentions that are worth sharing here on this forum:

Passionate About Baking found mention here …
PAB on Sunday Dinner on Ziet Online
Sparkah Top 100 Food Bloggers You Should Cater To And Treat to Expensive Pu Ehr Tea
PAB on Inspiration from the Blogging Community @ Turmeric n Spice
Top 500 Food Blogs … http://www.cellarer.com/best-cooking-blogs {at #64}
The 100 Top Culinary Blogs … http://www.guidetoculinaryschools.com/tips-and-tools/best-culinary-blogs
iPhone Strawberry App (Free download here) – Refrigerator Strawberry Cheesecake, Chocolate Strawberry Mascarpone Cake, Strawberry Curd Cheese Tartlets
PAB on Femina Online – FEMINA Foodbytes
MRI Technitian Training – 80 Great sites for those who love to bake
Refrigerator Soup – http://www.refrigeratorsoup.com/twenty-questions-with-passionate-about-baking/
Huffington Post http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2morrowknight/10-world-class-chefs-on-t_b_307161.html
Foodista Food Blog of the Day for Thursday, October 22nd ’09 (http://www.foodista.com/)
Foodie Views of the Day (http://www.foodieview.com/views/)
Interview at Webneetech (http://webneetech.com/2009/10/29/interview-with-blogger-deeba-of-passionateaboutbaking-com/)
Won a copy of Roland Mesnier’s Basic to Beautiful Cakes for my entry Cinnamon Buttercream Autumn Cake to the Daring Kitchen. (Nov 2009)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2morrowknight/10-world-class-chefs-on-t_b_307161.html

On her website Deeba writes: “My passions in life…baking, cooking, nature, art. It’s mainly about FOOD as an art.” And she’s right. She’s one of the most respected chefs in India. Her recipes are a feast to both taste buds and eyes. I tried her chcolate strawberry shortcake and its nothing short of amazing. PassionateAboutBaking.com

Featured in ‘Better Homes & Gandens‘, Indian Edition, Jan 2011.

Herez wishing her all the very best and many more fun assignments together!

and many more. Read complete list here
http://www.passionateaboutbaking.com/2007/11/passionate-about-baking-found-mention-here.html