Julie Sahni’s Chicken Kabuli
People are always surprised to learn that I don’t eat Mexican food all the time. I, in fact, seldom eat full Mexican meals at home. I regularly have huevos con chorizo (scrambled egg with homemade chorizo), a quick quesadilla, add poblanos and/or other Mexican ingredients when I sauté vegetables or seafood. But I cook food from many parts of the world, my favorites being Mediterranean, Turkish, Moroccan, and Indian, such as this marvelous dish that I used to serve to my catering customers in El Paso, Texas, and I had been craving for months.
Ingredients
- 3 cloves garlic peeled
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger root
- 3 medium-sized tomatoes about ¾ pound
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1½-inch pieces
- ½ teaspoon mace
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons ground blanched almonds
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds ground
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1½ cup heavy cream
- 2-3 teaspoons black peppercorns coarsely ground
- ¼-⅓ cup finely chopped cilantro leaves
Instructions
- Put garlic, ginger, tomatoes, and yogurt into the container of an electric blender or food processor, and purée until smooth.
- Put oil and the puréed mixture in a large heavy-bottomed pan, preferably one with a non-stick surface. Cook the purée over medium heat, stirring often, until thickened and the fat starts to separate (about 15 minutes).
- Add chicken pieces and cook, stirring rapidly, until they lose their pink color (about 5 minutes). Don’t let them brown. Add the mace, nutmeg, ground almonds, cardamom, cumin, coriander, fennel seeds, and salt; mix well. Reduce heat, cover the pot, and let the chicken cook for about 10-15 minutes, until fork tender.
- Stir in cream and black pepper and sprinkle cilantro on top.
Notes
PS: Changes I made:
Reduced oil from ¾ cup to ⅓ cup
Reduced cooking time significantly. You might want it more well done. Julie’s original instructions say to let sauce almost completely dry; I don’t. I did not have cream so did not add it.
It’s a sensational dish but of course, you need to have all the ingredients on hand.
Nutrition
Calories: 481kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 39gFat: 33gSaturated Fat: 20gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 174mgSodium: 1106mgPotassium: 890mgFiber: 2gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 1172IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 104mgIron: 2mg
