Chicken With Potatoes

We are settling into a routine, so my hubby thought it would be a good time to get back into the Indian food rhythm.  Since we are now in the "baby could arrive whenever he feels like" time frame, I requested something that would not be too spicy.  The hubby wanted to do a bread as well but one that was not so intensive as naan.  So we decided to make Chicken with Potatoes and Paratha.

Chicken with Potatoes

adapted slightly from An Invitation to Indian Cooking by Madhur Jaffrey

Ingredients

3 medium potatoes
1 medium onion
3 cloves garlic
1 inch cube of fresh ginger
1 1/2 pounds of chicken (we used 1 pound of tenderloins)
5 tbsp vegetable oil
1 cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf
4 whole cardamom pods
1 tsp of red pepper flakes (I can't remember the exact measurement but it was less than what Jaffrey calls for)
2 whole black peppercorns
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 cup tomato sauce
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 tsp salt

Steps

1.  Clean the potatoes.  Place in steamer bag and cook in microwave.  Let cool completely.  (Jaffrey says to boil the potatoes, we just found this to be much more convenient)
2.  Blend onion, garlic, and ginger with 5 tbsp water to a smooth paste.
3.  Heat oil over medium-high heat.  Add cinnamon, bay leaf, cardamom, red pepper, peppercorns, and chicken.  (We use a mortar and pestle to break down the cinnamon, bay leaf, cardamom, and peppercorns prior to heatings.)  Fry chicken until golden brown on all sides.  Remove the chicken and set aside.
4.  Add the paste to the pot and then the turmeric.  Fry for about 3 minutes.
5.  Add the tomato sauce and chicken broth.  Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.
6.  Meanwhile, peel and quarter the potatoes.
7.  Add the salt, chicken, and potatoes to the sauce.  Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 20 - 25 minute or until chicken is tender.

Paratha

from An Invitation to Indian Cooking by Madhur Jaffrey

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp salt
4 tbsp melted butter
1/2 cup whole wheat flour for dusting

Steps

1.  Combine the flour, oil, and salt in a bowl while slowly adding 1/2 cup of water until all the flour adheres together.
2.  Knead for 8 - 10 minutes.
3.  Form into a ball, cover with damp cloth and set aside for 30 minutes.
4.  Divide dough into 8 balls.
5.  For each ball: roll out until it is about 5 inch in diameter.  Brush lightly with the melted butter.  Fold in half.  Brush again with butter.  Fold in half one last time.  You should have a triangular shape.  Roll the triangle so that each side is 5 inch long.
6.  Add butter to a griddle that has been heated over a medium heat.  Place the paratha on the griddle.  Once it is golden brown, add more butter to griddle and flip.  Cook until golder brown.
7.  As each paratha finishes, place on an aluminum sheet and cover tightly.  When ready to eat, preheat oven to 300 and heat covered parathas for 10 minutes.

Finished Product

I really enjoyed this meal.  We served it over some basmati race.  The chicken and potatoes were not spicy at all but had a wonderful smell.  The sauce was nice and thick from the potatoes giving off their starchiness.  This recipe also seemed to move along a lot quicker than some of our other recipe attempts.  A definite keeper especially because I like "Aloo" - Hindi for potato.  We also liked that the bread was not nearly as time intensive as naan.  I enjoy naan a bit more but for the time - parathas are so much easier. I encourage you to try this one out.