how can you not smile when you are about to eat dum ka murgh?
I want to share this recipe as it is my favourite chicken dish that uses a technique which the French call confit and we Indians call dum [dum derives from the Persian word ‘dum baksh‘ meaning ‘to give breath to’ or cooked in its own juices without the addition of any water].
Interestingly, this dish also has some Persian influences. It uses ground sesame seeds, a.k.a. tahini, as a binding agent to hold the yoghurt together, preventing it from splitting.
The original recipe uses ground peanuts, which are grown around that region, but I use ground cashew nuts for the simple reason that cashew nuts are more acceptable than peanuts, a.k.a groundnuts, and many people who cannot tolerate peanuts can eat the cashew nut which, as we all know, isn’t a ‘nut’ as such.
Before you begin, for all the ingredients that you need for a garam masala that goes with poultry, click here.
garam masala for poultry
Step 1
ingredients – from top, clockwise: salt, oil, 1 kg chicken on the bone cut into small pieces, lemon juice, chopped mint, finely sliced white onions. in the tray, clockwise: garlic paste, ginger paste, green chilli paste, sesame paste, ground cashews, turmeric, poultry garam masala, 2½ cups yoghurt
Step 2
place garam masala in spice grinder: add cinnamon sticks first (break sticks in half, if necessary)
Step 49
dum ka murgh
Cooking chicken, or any other poultry, this way has a number of benefits:
1. The meat is tender and juicy.
2. As there is no water in the dish, it is loaded with flavour.
3. The dish tastes better the next day because it is cooked well, and slowly, in its own juices.
Happy cooking!!
Anah Daata Sukhi Bhava!!!