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| Chicken in Apricot Coriander Sauce |
| About the recipe |
This is a great recipe from a cook book by Bruce Cost, "Ginger East to West". If you love ginger, this book is for you!
This recipe could have many variations - I've tried 3 so far! Trade the Apricot for any pulpy fruit, trade the chicken for any meat you like - but chicken and lamb are probably the preferred. Vegetarians could probably trade the meat for say, eggplant, or portabello mushrooms?? |
| Servings |
4 |
| Ingredients |
one 3 1/2 to 4 lb chicken
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground ginger
1 1/4 cups unsulfered dried ginger
2 cups loosely packed coriander leaves and stems
1/2 cup clarified butter or peanut oil, or more if necessary
1 cup chopped onion
3 Tbs finely minced fresh ginger
1 3-inch cinnamon stick
8 green cardamom pods (or 1 tsp ground)
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp freshly ground white pepper
1 1/2 cups fresh peeled and chopped plum tomatoes (or canned Italian plum tomatoes)
some fresh coriander leaves for garnish
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| Perparation |
Skin the chicken and cut into serving pieces. Rub 1 teaspoon salt and the ground ginger over the chicken pieces and let stand for an hour.
Meanwhile, put the apricots in a bowl, cover with 1 1/2 cups boiling water and let soak for 45 minutes. Remove the apricots, reserving the soaking liquid, to a food processor or blender, add the coriander reserving a few leaves for garnish, and blend until smooth.
Heat half the butter or oil in a heavy skillet or wok. Brown the chicken a few pieces at a time, removing them with a slotted spoon to a bowl. When the chicken is browned, add the rest of the butter and fry the onion, stirring constantly until it is light brown.
To the onions, and the fresh ginger, cinnamon stick and cardamom pods and cook, stirring, for another 2 minutes. Add the cloves and the white pepper, and stir briefly to blend. Add the reserved apricot soaking liquid, the tomatoes, 1 teaspoon salt, and the apricot puree and bring to a boil.
Add the chicken pieces, and bring to a boil again. Cover, turn the heat to low and let simmer for 45 minutes, stirring from time to time. You may have to add more liquid.
When the chicken is done, remove it to a warm serving platter. If the sauce is thin, reduce it to a desired consistency. Pour the sauce over the chicken an dgarnish with coriander leaves. YUM. |
| Notes |
Bruce Cost notes here that this Indian dish is distinctly Moghul, of Persian influence. He describes the sauce as a lightly spiced, delicate chutney - absolutely delicious, I add! Also, an interesting cultural note that Bruce is full of describes skinning the chicken as a very Indian tradition as I quote, "Indians believe the skin to be unclean and, along with feathers, beak, and other inedible parts, not to be eaten". |
| Last Made |
2004-07-15 |
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