My mama’s fried chicken

My kids still have a vivid memory of their visits to their grandma’s house in India where they feasted on her mouth watering fried chicken that she always made for them. And now whenever they visit me they want to eat their Nani’s (grandma’s) special chicken. Therefore I carry her tradition. It is a simple recipe, but I believe her magic potion was love which she poured into it that made all the difference and kicked it up a notch.

Here’s the recipe!

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken –
2 tbs ginger garlic paste –
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
2 tsp red chilly powder (MDH brand deghi/kashmiri chilli)
1 tsp garam masala powder (haan’s garam masala)
2 cups vegetable oil  to fry
lemon juice
salt as required

Crispy fried chicken

Instructions:
1. Remove the skin, cut the whole chicken into 12 pieces, clean, wash and drain them.
2. Rub the chicken pieces with salt and lemon/lime juice and leave aside for 15 minutes.
3. Mix together freshly ground ginger garlic paste, turmeric and red chilly powder (kashmiri chilli powder)and rub the chicken with it.
4. Steam it on medium heat for a few minutes till it sweats a bit and turns opaque or is half cooked. It will be a bit soupy at the bottom. Do not throw away this soup. Remove from the stove and leave aside to cool.
5. Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan or dutch oven and on medium high heat fry all the chicken pieces in small batches till golden brown and crisp. Do not over fry as they would become hard and dry like charcoal.  Drain on paper towels.
6. Now add some kashmiri chilli and some powdered garam masala spices to the left over soup that we reserved after steaming the chicken. Spoon in a tablespoon of hot oil from the dutch oven into it,  stir to thicken a bit, then toss into the sauce all the fried chicken pieces,  turn over to coat them evenly and serve them immediately.
7. Alternatively you could thicken the sauce with a tsp of corn starch mixed with water and instead of tossing the chicken pieces in it, serve it as a dipping sauce with the crispy fried chicken pieces.  They taste delicious! Enjoy with rice and salad.

fried chicken coated with the sauce

Notes:
1. The steamed chicken pieces fry quickly, are crispy and well cooked inside.
2. The chicken loses its crispness a bit when coated with the sauce but still delicious. It is personal preference whether to eat them crispy fried or coated with the sauce. Both are equally delicious though the texture is different.
3. Kashmiri chilli powder gives a beautiful red crimson colour to the chicken, is mildly hot and flavourful.
4. Deghi mirch has a higher heat level than kashmiri chilli. It is processed from special varieties of  Indian red chillies and imparts a unique flavour to the dish it is added.
5.  Putting the chicken pieces in fuming hot oil will scald them and they would turn out dry and tasteless. You could increase the heat to medium high when the oil stops bubbling after adding the chicken pieces.
6. Fry the chicken pieces in small batches, crowding them will make them absorb the oil and become oily.

Recipe

My Mama's Fried Chicken

Author: Fouzia Husainy

My kids still have a vivid memory of their visits to their grandma's house in India where they feasted on her mouth watering fried chicken that she always made for them. And now whenever they visit me they want to eat their Nani's (grandma's) special chicken. Therefore I carry her tradition. It is a simple recipe, but I believe her magic potion was love which she poured into it that made all the difference and kicked it up a notch.

Course Main Course, Non Vegetarian

Cuisine Indian

Ingredients

  

• 1 whole chicken -
• 2 tbs ginger garlic paste -
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
• 2 tsp red chilly powder MDH brand deghi/kashmiri chilli
• 1 tsp garam masala powder haan's garam masala
• 2 cups vegetable oil  to fry
• lemon juice
• salt as required

Instructions

 

• Remove the skin, cut the whole chicken into 12 pieces, clean, wash and drain them.
• Rub the chicken pieces with salt and lemon/lime juice and leave aside for 15 minutes.
• Mix together freshly ground ginger garlic paste, turmeric and red chilly powder (kashmiri chilli powder)and rub the chicken with it.
• Steam it on medium heat for a few minutes till it sweats a bit and turns opaque or is half cooked. It will be a bit soupy at the bottom. Do not throw away this soup. Remove from the stove and leave aside to cool.
• Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan or dutch oven and on medium high heat fry all the chicken pieces in small batches till golden brown and crisp. Do not over fry as they would become hard and dry like charcoal.  Drain on paper towels.
• Now add some kashmiri chilli and some powdered garam masala spices to the left over soup that we reserved after steaming the chicken. Spoon in a tablespoon of hot oil from the dutch oven into it,  stir to thicken a bit, then toss into the sauce all the fried chicken pieces,  turn over to coat them evenly and serve them immediately.
• Alternatively you could thicken the sauce with a tsp of corn starch mixed with water and instead of tossing the chicken pieces in it, serve it as a dipping sauce with the crispy fried chicken pieces.  They taste delicious! Enjoy with rice and salad.

Notes

1. The steamed chicken pieces fry quickly, are crispy and well cooked inside.

2. The chicken loses its crispness a bit when coated with the sauce but still delicious. It is personal preference whether to eat them crispy fried or coated with the sauce. Both are equally delicious though the texture is different.

3. Kashmiri chilli powder gives a beautiful red crimson colour to the chicken, is mildly hot and flavourful.

4. Deghi mirch has a higher heat level than kashmiri chilli. It is processed from special varieties of  Indian red chillies and imparts a unique flavour to the dish it is added.

5. Putting the chicken pieces in fuming hot oil will scald them and they would turn out dry and tasteless. You could increase the heat to medium high when the oil stops bubbling after adding the chicken pieces.

6. Fry the chicken pieces in small batches, crowding them will make them absorb the oil and become oily.

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