Bahari Palak Chicken

Few days before my computer crashed and it got the time to crash on my b'day only. I tell you my time is not going in my favour after I have come to US. First I got to deal with a pack of overfriendly opportunist people devoid of manner, then my hubby fell ill and then the laptop went dead. I wonder what's worse still in store for me in future.

This Palak chicken was originally a recipe of mutton written on my diary, but since I am a chicken loving person, I change the mutton recipes to conform to the taste of chicken. So this one I cooked on my birthday to make myself feel special. Well, my hubby took me out on dinner that night but as he knows nothing related to cooking, I cook something special every time mine or his b'day comes. There was a time when I had the luxury of turning up nose at the cuisines cooked by my mother and I had the privilege of wearing a sullen face if my father forgot to fulfill my whims on my b'day. But such good times are behind me now. After marriage, this is the 3rd b'day I didn't spend with my parents. How awfully I miss them at times!

Ingredients:                                                   Cooking time: 45 minutes approx. ü  1 kg chicken (on the bones) ü  1 bowl of spinach (boiled, about 500 gm and ground into paste) ü  1 medium sized onion (chopped) ü  1 large tomato (sliced) ü  6-7 green chilies (chopped) ü  2 tbsp grated cheese (I used cheddar cheese) ü  1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste ü  1 tsp cumin powder ü  1 tsp coriander powder ü  1 tsp red chili powder ü  1 tsp garam masala powder ü  Salt to taste ü  White oil for cooking ü  Ghee (optional) For Sauté: ü  3 whole dry red chilies ü  1 inch cinnamon stick ü  3-4 green cardamoms Method: 1) Heat oil in a cooking vessel. When oil turns smoking hot, add the ingredients for sauté and allow them to sputter. 2) Then add the chopped onion and chopped green chilies. Sauté till onion takes on a golden hue. 3) Add ginger-garlic paste, cumin powder, coriander powder, red chili powder, garam masala powder one after another and sauté on medium heat. Add water little by little to help the spices integrate. 4) When oil floats on the surface, add the chicken and mix in. Cook on medium heat for some time, stirring occasionally. 5) Then add the spinach paste and mix it properly with the chicken. Put the lid on and cook covered till spinach blends into the gravy. 6) Add salt and grated cheese. When cheese melts away into the gravy, add the tomato slices and mix them well. 7) Again cook covered for few minutes till chicken is tender and all the ingredients blended together emanates a nice aroma. 8) Finally before turning the heat off, drizzle 2 tsps. of ghee and stir in to mix. 9) Serve hot with steaming rice, paratha or naan.