Serves 4 as a main dish
Achari Chicken is for lovers of pickling spices. Take a good serving of the Base Curry Sauce, add some chicken, a bit of garlic and a sprinkle of spice for a great medium-strength curry. Just with salty, tangy pickles.
What you need…
• 2 Tablespoons ghee
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon garlic paste
• 600ml Base Curry Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons tomato ketchup
• small handful fresh coriander (chop up the stems to add to the curry and set aside the leaves for garnish)
• 2.5 Tablespoons mixed or lime pickle, chopped
• 800g chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• salt to taste
Spice Mix
• 1 Tablespoon mild curry powder
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon vinegar
How you make it…
1. Heat the ghee to a high heat. While it is heating up mix the Spice Mix with the vinegar and enough water to form a sloppy paste.
2. Add the cumin seeds and fry for 15 seconds. They should sizzle immediately. You can test the ghee is hot enough by adding one seed.
3. Add the garlic paste and cook for 1 minute on a lower heat. You may have to remove the pan from the heat initially to stop the paste burning. (If it burns then throw it away and start again.)
4. Add the Spice Mix paste and cook for 2 minutes. It should now be thick and gloopy.
5. Add the Base Curry Sauce and the tomato and cook for 2 minutes.
6. Add 2 Tablespoons chopped pickle and mix well
7. Add the chicken, mix well and cook for five minutes.
8. Add the garam masala, salt (check carefully as the pickle is usually salty enough) and coriander stems and continue cooking until the chicken is fully cooked.
9. Serve, garnished with the coriander leaves and the other half Tablespoon of pickle.
You can also try this with Shaktora a citrus that is native of Sylhet in Bangladesh.
If you like this you should try our…
Why do pickles love being in a curry? …Because they relish it.
Medium Chicken Curry • Chicken Madras • Chicken Vindaloo • Chicken Bhoona • Chicken Feet Curry (Africa)
