Murgh Malaidar

I first made this, properly, in Feb 2014 when Encarna and Alex were visiting and they, with Beatriz and Hartmut, came for dinner. It was pretty good!

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16 chicken thigh fillets (or with the bone)

3 tablespoons ginger and garlic paste

4 large black cardamoms

2 large cardamom sticks (broken into halves)

12 small green cardamoms and 10 cloves (bashed up)

2 largeish (1 inch) pieces of mace

Two large onions, sliced

I green chilli

Medium bunch coriander

4 teaspoons white pepper

Oil

3 cups milk

2 tbsps single cream

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Make some slits in the chicken by stabbing the whole lot with a long pointy knife. Use your hands to mix in the ginger and garlic paste and the white pepper. Marinate for at least an hour.

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In large kadai, heat the oil, then put the cinnamon pieces, the mace, the black cardamoms, the bashed up green cardamoms and cloves. After they sizzle a bit, put in the green chilli and the onions and let cook on low heat so a bit translucent but NOT browned. After fifteen minutes or so, put in the chicken, stir it round for a few minutes until all the pieces are ‘sealed’ (i.e., the outsides have gone white {NOT brown}) then add in the milk and the cream and the coriander, put on a tightish lid and cook for maybe an hour on low heat until the meat is tender. Add salt (2 and half teaspoons I’d guess) and at the end garnish with a few coriander leaves and some roasted almonds.

The whole dish looks pale and delicate and the flavor is wonderful.