Chicken Boneless Achari Handi

Achaar is one of my favorite things to eat with Daal Chawal, Pratha and a couple of other desi dishes. Women love it for obvious reasons. Men love it for their reasons but who else loves it? My Iranian friend who was in Pakistan for a good 2 years for his job.

According to my Iranian friend Pakistani food gave him the diarrhea for starters because Iranian food is very mild but then his stomach got accustom to the food and he loved it.

So, upon his request I decided to make Chicken Boneless Achari Handi.

This recipe is also dedicated to Nageen Naqvi as she told me to "MAKE IT JALDI"

Ingredients:-

For Chicken Marinade:-

500 grams boneless chicken cut in cubes

1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste

1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 red chili powder

1 tablespoon oil from achaar bottle

Other Ingredients:-

4 tablespoon oil

2 onions finely chopped

4 tomatoes finely chopped

1 tablespoon tomato puree/paste

1 tsp ginger garlic paste

2-3 green chilies slit

2 tablespoon yogurt

1 teaspoon salt or up to your taste

1 teaspoon red chili powder

1 teaspoon coriander seed

1/2 teaspoon fennel(saunf) seed

1/2 teaspoon fenugreek(methidana) seed

1/2 teaspoon mustard seed

1 teaspoon kalonji seeds

10 curry leaves chopped

1 lemon juice or you can use more to make it more tangy

1 heaped tablespoon of pickle/achaar

Marinade the chicken cubes in salt, pickle oil, turmeric powder, chili powder and ginger garlic paste. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes up to over night.

Mix the coriander, fennel and fenugreek seeds, roast them in a dry pan for a minute or two until they are aromatic, then crush them to a rough powder.

Put some oil in a frying pan and cook the chicken on high heat. Keep that in mind that this is just to seal the chicken as it will be further cooked in the gravy. So, do not over cook it right now. Take it out from the pan and keep it aside.

Put some more oil in the same pan and add the mustard seeds on medium heat. When they start making a popping sound or spluttering add the chopped curry leaves and fry them for 30 seconds.

Now add the chopped onions and cook them till they are golden. Add the ginger garlic paste when they are golden and fry for 2 to 3 more minutes.

Now add chopped tomatoes, tomato puree/paste, all the roasted and crushed seeds, salt and red chili powder. Cook till the tomatoes are thick and they release oil from the sides. Then add the yogurt and give it a good mix to combine.

Now lower the heat, add the chicken cubes, slit green chilies and kalonji seeds. Give them a good stir. Cover with lid and simmer it for a good 15 minutes until the chicken is tender and the gravy is cooked.

Now add in the lemon juice and a spoon full of achaar which will take the taste of this dish to a whole new different level.

Stir and taste, adjust the seasoning if needed. Turn of the heat and let the dish rest for 15 minutes so all the flavor is infused in the chicken. Ladies and gentlemen I give you after a lot of hard work and wait Chicken Boneless Achari.