Seeing the renewed interest in the Chicken Bhuna thread (Let’s talk curry) I thought I would add a couple of recipes I have used at home. The first is adapted from a Times of India recipe. This is the sort of quick after work curry I would make for me and the wife having done most of the cooking a day or two before and then just reheating and adding the final touches before serving.

The second recipe is a bit more involved and comes from Swasthi’s recipes
https://www.indianhealthyrecipes.com/
This has more depth of flavour and I would usually make this as part of a curry fest for friends and family.

Chicken Bhuna adapted from a recipe at Times of India

Ingredients
1 kilogram bone in skinless chicken pieces, excess fat removed. (I use thighs)
Fine sea salt
Ground black pepper
1 tablespoon vinegar (I use white wine vinegar)
1 tablespoon turmeric
2 tablespoon ginger paste
2 tablespoon garlic paste
4 tablespoon ghee
1/2 tablespoon cumin seeds
4 large red onions finely chopped
4 medium tomatoes, puréed 

1/2 tablespoon ground Kashmiri chilli powder

1/2 tablespoon ground coriander
1/2 tablespoon amchoor (ground dried mango)
8 tablespoons thick natural yoghurt.
1/2 tablespoon garam masala 

A handful of coriander leaves, roughly chopped

2 tablespoon fresh cream

Method
Prepare the marinade. Place chicken pieces into a bowl and add 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, vinegar, 1/2 tbsp turmeric, half the ginger paste and half of the garlic paste. Coat the chicken and marinate for as long as possible in the fridge – at least an hour or preferably overnight.

Remove the chicken from the fridge one hour before starting to cook.



Put ghee in a pot over medium heat. When hot and shimmering add the cumin seeds and let them splutter for a few seconds. Add the finely chopped onions and sauté them for 5 minutes. Once the onions are translucent, add the remaining ginger and garlic pastes. Mix well and sauté for a few more minutes until the raw aroma is cooked out.



Add the puréed tomatoes to the pot, along with the remaining turmeric, red chilli powder, coriander powder and amchoor. Add salt and ground black pepper to taste and stir, bring to a simmer then cover and allow it to cook for five minutes. Remove the lid, stir then allow it to simmer uncovered until the ghee separates.


Now put in 1 tablespoon of the yogurt and stir for about 30 seconds until yogurt is well blended. Add the remaining yogurt, a tablespoon at a time in the same way. Once all the yoghurt is mixed in continue to stir for another 3-4 minutes.



Add the marinated chicken pieces to the pan and and mix to coat them well. Cook for 5 minutes over a high heat stirring occasionally to prevent the sauce from sticking. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the chicken is tender, about 30 - 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add water as required to obtain the desired consistency, but consider that Bhuna chicken should invariably be served in a thick sauce.



Once the chicken is cooked stir in the garam masala and  garnish with chopped coriander leaves and swirls of fresh cream. Check the seasoning and serve immediately.

Chicken Bhuna Masala from Swasthi's Recipes

Ingredients
1 kg chicken breast or boneless thighs, cubed
1 tablespoon ghee
2 dried red chillies
1 bay leaf
2 black cardamoms
4 green cardamoms
4 cloves
2 inch stick of cinnamon

Ground Spice Mix
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons Kashmiri Red chilli powder
2 teaspoon garam masala
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground fennel

Marinade
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ tablespoon ginger garlic paste
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Bhuna Masala
4 tablespoons oil
2 medium onions, chopped
1 to 2 green chillies, slit
1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
1 medium tomato deseeded and chopped or one small tin
1 teaspoon fine sea salt, or to taste
8 tablespoons greek yoghurt
1½ tablespoons dried fenugreek leaves, crushed
Handful finely chopped coriander leaves to garnish

Method
Mix together all the ground spices – red chilli powder, turmeric, garam masala, coriander, cumin, black pepper & fennel.
Place chicken in a lidded container. Sprinkle ½ teaspoon of fine sea salt,  ½ tablespoon of ginger garlic paste and half of the mixed ground spices. Pour over the lemon juice, mix to combine then cover and refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight.

Remove the chicken from the fridge one hour before starting to cook.

Heat oil in a wok or pan over medium heat.
Add onions and green chillies. Sauté for 6 to 7 minutes and then reduce heat to medium low until onions turn golden brown but not burnt.
Add ginger garlic paste and sauté until the raw smell has gone.
Stir in the remaining half of the ground spices and continue to sauté until the smell of the raw spices has gone.

Stir in the tomatoes and salt. Cook until the mix reduces and the oil starts to form around the edge. Now put in 1 tablespoon of the yogurt and stir and fry for about 30 seconds until yogurt is well blended. Add the remaining yogurt, a tablespoon at a time in the same way. Stir and fry for another 3-4 minutes until the yoghurt cooks down and the masala starts to thicken.

As the masala cooks, in another pan, heat 1 tablespoon ghee. Add the red chilies and let them fry for 30 to 40 seconds.

Add all the remaining whole spices – bay leaf, cardamoms, cloves and cinnamon stick, sauté until the cardamoms and cloves swell and the spices release their aroma.

Add the chicken and all the marinade ingredients and fry on a medium high heat for 2 to 3 mins and then reduce the heat for a further 3 minutes until the chicken has coloured. 

Add the chicken and 2 tablespoons of the chopped coriander leaves to the masala and continue to sauté for 2 to 3 minutes.

Cover and cook on a low heat, until the chicken is fully cooked through, add a splash of hot water if the masala starts to stick to the bottom of the pan, pouring it in at the side and not over the chicken.

Taste and adjust the seasoning. Sprinkle in the crushed kasuri methi and mix well, then garnish with the remaining chopped coriander leaves.

Well, yes, it was certainly Japanese cuisine that I ate while I was there (but not Japanese curries ...) but please do make sure that if you eat fugu your chef possesses one of these !

Although I have visited Japan at least twice, I don't think that on any occasion I set out to eat Indian food when there, nor do I remember ever eating the same in Japan, even by chance, so I am not in a position to confirm or deny the hypothesis that Japanese Indian cuisine might in any way resemble BIR.  But if it does, I will be mildly surprised.
--
** Phil.

Yet if he did not have such wealth, how could he afford to donate $3 billion to charity ?
--
** Phil.

It was only half quantity, but still a waste as it was inedible.  I like salt but this was awful.