Pistachio and Yogurt Chicken Curry from ‘Made in India’
This week, we’re spotlighting recipes from Made in India: Recipes from an Indian Family Kitchen by Meera Sodha (Flatiron Books), a London-based chef and food writer. Try making the recipe at home and let us know what you think!
Photo: David Loftus
By Meera Sodha
Pistachio and Yogurt Chicken Curry
Pista nu murghi
Serves 4
This rich and mildly spiced dish is fit for a maharajah. In fact the inspiration for this dish came from a book I picked up on my travels in India: “Cooking Delights of the Maharajahs,”written by a former prince of Sailana, Digvijaya Singh. He loved the exotic Mughlai dishes served up in his kitchens so much that he learned and recorded every single one.
The ground pistaschios lend themselves perfectly to the sweetness of the onions and create a beautiful, rich creamy sauce. You’ll need a spice grinder, ideally, or food processor to grind the nuts for this recipe.
4 ounces unsalted pistachios (plus extra to serve)
2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
4 cloves of garlic roughly chopped
3 tablespoons canola oil
2 large onions, sliced into fine rings
2 large ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon garam masala
½ teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon coriander seeds, crushed
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
1 ¾-inch cinnamon stick or 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1 ¾ pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, chopped into ¾-inch cubes
1 cup hot chicken stock
4 tablespoons homemade or Greek Yogurt (plus extra to serve)
Juice of ½ lemon
In a food processor or spice grinder, grind the pistachios to a fine powder and set aside. Bash up the grinder and garlic in a mortar and pestle to a coarse paste and set aside.
Put the oil in a wide-bottomed, lidded frying pan on a medium heat and, when it’s hot, add the onions. Fry until caramelized, which should take around 20 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger paste and stir-fry for 3 to 4 minutes before adding the tomatoes.
Put the lid on the pan and let the tomatoes cook for around 5 minutes, until they start to break down, then add the black pepper, garam masala, chili powder, coriander, cardamom, cinnamon, and salt. Stir, then add the chicken pieces to the pan.
Turn the chicken so that it seals on all sides, then add the ground pistachios. Stir-fry for a minute, then pour in the chicken stock. Lightly whisk the yogurt with a fork, then stir it into the pan. Pop the lid on the pan and leave to cook for around 15 minutes. Taste the dish and adjust as you wish. Add a little water to get a good saucy consistency if need be. To serve, spoon over a dollop of yogurt, scatter with the chopped pistachios, and squeeze over the lemon juice. Eat with a bowl of basmati rice or some naan.
Reprinted with permission from Made in India: Recipes from an Indian Family Kitchen by Meera Sodha (Flatiron Books).
More Indian recipes to make at home:
