Qorma-e-Murgh

Chicken Curry (serves 4-6)

This recipe is incredibly yummy and universal, not to mention easy. Basically, you throw all the ingredients in a cooking pot or pressure cooker and wait until it's ready. Really, that's it!

So, these first three recipes I've made (chalao, kofta and murgh) are staple dishes in an Afghan home. Afghanistan is mostly a rugged, mountainous country so meat dishes with grains and legumes are almost an everyday staple. Yes, we're carnivores and we love our meat, but we also have easy and hearty vegetarian dishes as well. So, our qorma-e-murgh...

Ahmahda hastayn? Are you ready?

Ingredients

1 kilo (2 lb) mix of chicken breast and leg (or if preferred all leg or all breast)

1 tablespoon oil (any kind)

1 medium yellow onion chopped finely

1/2 tablespoon ginger minced/ finely chopped

1/2 tablespoon garlic minced/ finely chopped

1 teaspoon turmeric

1-1.5 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper or half fresh Thai or Cayenne chilli peppers chopped (optional)

1.5-2 tablespoon tomato paste

1 cup water

Optional ingredients

3 medium potatoes washed, peeled and cut into small wedges

OR

1/2 cup yellow split peas washed and if possible soaked for 10-20 min ahead of time

Process

You'll be making the sauce or qorma first and if you tried the meatball curry in my previous post you'll be pretty familiar with this process. If not, check out the last post to go through pics and step-by-step instructions.

1. In a medium-large cooking pot or pressure cooker heat oil on high heat. Saute onions until transparent and slightly golden. Stir every minute or so to prevent sticking and burning. Add garlic and ginger, then a few drops of water and stir. Add the turmeric, mix, wait 1 minute and then add the tomato paste, salt and pepper with 1 cup water. Let the sauce cook and marry for 2-3 minutes with heat still on high.

2. While the sauce simmers, wash the chicken and cut the breasts into desired size. I cut the boneless meat into roughly 7 cm (3 inch) pieces. Add all the chicken to the pot, mix and cover on high heat for 10 minutes in a pressure cooker (about 15 minutes in a cooking pot). Once the pressure cooker whistles and steams lower the heat to med-high for another 10 minutes and then *add your potatoes or yellow split peas, cover lid and continue to cook on medium heat for another 10-15 minutes or until fully cooked and tender.

*If working with a pressure cooker, release all the heat manaully (by placing a spoon under the top and lifting it until all heat is released) and then open the lid. I cannot stress enough the importance of always making sure there is no pressure in the pot before opening the lid.

3. Serve with chalao and salata-e-Afghani (Afghani salad) or eat with warm bread. Pretty easy, right?

Eshtiya-ye khoob!

#murgh #chicken #qorma #curry #afghani #afghan