A special recipe from Chef Rishi’s mum

Although a vast array of food came out of his family kitchen every day, he recounts his all-time favourite as his mother’s Rajasthani-style Chicken Stew. “When you hear Chicken Stew, you instantly think about South India and coconut milk and curry leaves. However, my mother’s stew is different. It’s a reflection of how people from parts of North India make this dish.” It’s rustic, homely, simple and pot-full of flavour.

SERVES 2–4

Ingredients

~

4–5 tbsp cooking oil

2 cloves

1 tsp coriander seeds, lightly crushed

½ tsp whole cumin

5 black peppercorn

2 bay leaf

1 black cardamom

Small stick of cinnamon

3–4 whole dry red chillies

350g red onion, roughly chopped

10 garlic cloves, crushed or chopped

50g ginger, julienned

½ –1 tsp deggi mirch chilli powder

½ tsp turmeric powder

1 tbsp garam masala powder

450g tomatoes, roughly chopped

1kg bone-in chicken, cut into small pieces (can use boneless chicken thighs, if preferred)

100g natural yoghurt

3–5 fresh green chillies (add depending on level of spice)

TO FINISH

Coriander leaves, roughly chopped

Method

1. Heat the oil in a karahi, or another heavy-bottom pan, at medium heat. 
2. Add the cloves, coriander seeds, whole cumin, black peppercorn, bay leaf, black cardamom, cinnamon and dry red chillies. Cook until it starts to crackle. 
3. Add the onions, garlic and ginger and cook until light brown. 
4. Add the chilli powder, turmeric powder and garam masala and cook for 2–3 minutes. 
5. Add the tomatoes and cook until the spices leave the oil in the pan. 
6. Mix the chicken together with the yoghurt and then add it to the pan along with the fresh green chillies. 
7. Stir nicely to mix with the masala and bhuno (cook on medium–high while stirring continuously) until the chicken is nicely seared. 
8. Turn the heat down to medium and keep stirring until the chicken is nicely cooked and covered with the spices. 
9. Garnish with chopped coriander before serving with buttery naan, chapati or rice.

For other Dishoom recipes, please see Dishoom: from Bombay with love, our cookery book and highly subjective guide to Bombay.