Choley Chicken – Amritsari Dhaba Style

As Michael Pollan says – “We all have powerful memories of being cooked for”. Before the advent of YouTube & Blogs, age old recipes were written in old diaries by our mothers and their mothers before them and thus passing from generation to generation. Nostalgia & Memory are powerful emotions related to the experience of food.

I came across this age old recipe of Lahori Murg Chole which originated from Lahore, Punjab as the name suggests. The recipe has had its share of variation over time and is presently famous in Punjab, especially Amritsar as Choley Chicken.

I tried it on my own with certain tweaks as per my palate and the result was pretty good, so let’s dive into it straight:

Ingredients:

• Chicken (500-600gms)
• Choley (Chickpeas) 1 Cup (Soaked overnight)
• Baking Soda, 1 Tea Bag
• Onion 3-4 – Thinly Sliced
• Coriander Leaves finely chopped
• 2 Tomatoes – Medium
• Bay Leaf 1, 1 Big cardamom, Peppercorns
• Butter, Ghee – 5tbsp, Mustard Oil – 1Tbsp
• Cinnamon stick 1-2, Green Cardamom 4-5, Cloves 3-4
• Ginger Garlic paste 1tbsp
• Ginger 1inch – finely grated, Garlic 5-6 – finely grated
• Red chili powder, Garam Masala powder, Chicken Masala
• Salt to taste, Coriander powder, Turmeric Powder
• Water, Lime juice (1/2 Lemon)

Soaking & Boiling Choley (Chickpeas):

1. Soak a cup of Choley overnight in upto 2 inch of water over it & put a pinch of Baking Soda in it.
2. In a permeable fabric piece/ Muslin cloth put Bay leaf, Big Cardamom, small Cardamoms, Cloves & Peppercorns and tie it into a Potli.
3. In a pressure cooker add the soaked Choley, water, pinch of salt, the masala potli and a tea-bag. You can also add 1 teaspoon of tealeaves into the potli instead of the teabag if that is unavailable.
4. Pressure Cook it for 18-20 Whistles.

 

For the marinade:

1. Wash the chicken and using a knife make long slice marks in each piece cutting into the flesh.
2. Pour 1 tbsp. of mustard oil.
3. Sprinkle in ½ tbsp red chili powder, salt, ginger garlic paste, coriander powder, pinch of turmeric powder.
4. Mix well with hands and set aside 20-25 min for resting.

In most recipes I found Chicken is directly fried in butter to 70% Done without the need to Marinade. However my take to it is directly frying chicken will not allow much penetration of masala later into it. So this step is based on your taste preference.

Preparation:

Step 1: Frying the Chicken

1. In a Pressure cooker melt butter on medium flame.
2. Add the rested chicken and sear on high flame till it starts going white.
3. Give a little butter bath and fry till half done.
4. Take out the half done chicken in a separate bowl allowing it to cool.

Step 2: Cooking the Chicken & Choley

• In the same cooker, add 5 tbsp of Ghee and bring to melt.
• Add the thin sliced onions to it and start frying.
• Add grated ginger and garlic and fry together till raw smell dissipates. Add pinch of turmeric, ½ tsp Salt & Red chilli powder and fry till the onion is light golden in color.
• Add the fired chicken to it and continue frying for 8-10 mins, covering in between.
• Add Red chilli powder, Coriander powder & 1tbsp Chicken masala and continue frying.

• Paste the tomatoes into a puree and add to the chicken.
• Mix well together on medium flame, Add ½ tsp Salt, and continue frying for 10 minutes covering in between.

• Add the boiled Choley to it and mix well. Add lime juice (pomegranate seeds are also an alternative at this stage instead of the lime, if you have the taste for it)
• Add two cups of water, stir well, add garam masala powder and again mix well, cover and let cook for 6-8 mins. Check for salt.

• Add the finely chopped coriander leaves, a final well mix, and put on the lid to pressure cook to 1-2 whistles.
• Let the steam release on its own, take in a serving bowl and serve hot with parathas/rice.

 

I hope you will enjoy cooking it as much as I did. Would love to listen to your feedback and queries. Do check out my zomato profile www.zomato.com/chakravortys and insta profile @flavorsforsoul  to follow my food journey.