METHI CHICKEN: A LITTLE BIT OF HYDERABAD AT HOME

Two cooking posts in a row and, you can expect more to come.

I have been spending a lot of time pottering around my small kitchen in the last few weeks, working on recipes for some articles and,  I thought I would share some of the results with you just in case anybody wanted to try preparing them at home.

This time, Methi Chicken, a  dish of chicken thighs cooked with yoghurt, spices and a great deal of Methi (fenugreek) leaf.  You can often find fresh methi leaves in Indian stores, but if not, the dried leaves make an adequate substitute as they did in my version.

The dish, which originated in the Hyderabad region of India, is best made with chicken thighs. I find they add far more flavour to the final sauce than just using the bland breast meat.  The end result is rich, creamy and delicious and well worth a try.

I would love to hear back if you do decide to give it a go.

METHI CHICKEN (Chicken cooked in Yoghurt, Spices and Fenugreek Leaves)

INGREDIENTS
Bone in Chicken Thighs (Allow 2 per person)
1 Cup Whole Milk Yoghurt
1 large White Onion (Sliced)
3 Cloves Garlic
3 Green Chillies
2 Inches of Ginger
1 Cup Fenugreek Leaves ( I used dried, which are easier for me to find in my local Indian store)

WHOLE SPICES
3 Cardamom pods
1 Stick Cinnamon
½ Tsp Nigella Seed
½ Tsp Fennel Seed

GROUND SPICES
1 Tsp Ground Turmeric
1 Tsp Chilli Powder
½ Tsp Ground Mustard Seed (or mustard powder)
¼ Tsp Ground Clove
1 Tsp Ground Cumin
1 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
1 Tsp Ground Fenugreek.
1 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Sugar

METHOD
Remove the skin from the chicken thighs. (I always keep these to make chicken crackling to eat while cooking)

Blend the ginger/Garlic and Chilli into a fine paste with a little water and salt.

Heat two tablespoons of vegetable oil in a deep-sided pan and add the whole spices.

When they begin to sizzle and pop add the onions and cook slowly until they are coloured, making sure they do not burn.

Add the ginger/garlic/chilli paste and cook for a further three to four minutes until it loses its raw smell.

Add the ground spices and combine well.

Turn the heat down and cook the mixture until the spices begin to release their oils. If the mixture begins to catch, add a few drops of water.

Once the spices are cooked, remove the pan from the heat and blend in half the yoghurt.

Return to the stove and cook over a low heat until the yoghurt is combined.

Add the fenugreek leaves and combine well with the mixture.

Add the chicken thighs and coat with the mixture.

Cover the pan and cook on a gentle heat for twenty five minutes, turning the chicken thighs once.

After twenty five minutes, the thighs should be cooked and the dish should have created a great deal of its own sauce.

Remove the chicken thighs and keep warm.

Reduce the sauce until it is almost dry.

Combine 2 tablespoons of the remaining sauce with the remaining yoghurt and incorporate well. Add it back to the sauce, cook for a further two minutes and return the chicken thighs to the pan.

Serve making sure that each chicken thigh has a liberal coating of the sauce.