Afghani Chicken Curry

Afghani Chicken Curry is a traditional Pakistani recipe for a classic curry of chicken and cashew nuts in an onion, ginger, garlic, chilli and citrus juice sauce base. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Pakistani version of: Afghani Chicken Curry.

prep time

25 minutes

cook time

40 minutes

Total Time:

65 minutes

Additional Time:

(+2 hours marinating)

Serves:

Rating:

Tags : Curry Spice Recipes Chicken Recipes Milk Recipes Pakistan Recipes

The traditional recipe orginates from Afghanistan, though in Britain people tend to be more familiar with the Pakistani version, which is served in many curry houses. This recipe was given to me by a Pakistani friend many years ago, and it forms the basis for the British Indian Restaurant (BIR) version of the dish so I'm labelling it as a Pakistani/BIR recipe.

Ingredients:

For the Sauce:
2 small onions, finely chopped
3cm piece of ginger, peeled and grated
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 green chillies, finely chopped
2 tbsp coriander
1/2 tbsp lime juice
1/2 tbsp Lemon Juice
3 tbsp water

For the Chicken:
500g chicken thighs (on the bone)
15 Cashew nuts
1 tsp sea salt
¾ tsp freshly-ground black pepper
½ tsp garam masala
¾ tsp dried fenugreek leaves
¼ tsp chaat masala
60ml (¼ cup) plain yoghurt

For the Gravy Base:
3 tbsp cooking oil
3 tbsp sauce (see above)
60ml (1/4 cup) cream

Method:

In a bowl, mix together the onions, ginger, garlic and chillies. Add the coriander, lime juice, lemon juice and water to a blender. Process until smooth then add the onion mixture and process again until smooth then scrape into a bowl and set aside.

Combine the cashew nuts, salt, black pepper, garam masala, fenugreek leaves, chaat masala and yoghurt in a large bowl. Add the chicken thighs and massage in the marinade. Transfer to your refrigerator and marinate for 2 hours.

Place a wok, kadhai or deep frying pan over medium heat. Once the pan is hot add the oil and use to fry 3 tbsp of the blended sauce (freeze the remainder in aliquots) and stir-fry for about 3 minutes until the raw smell disappears.

Add the marinated chicken (any all the left-over marinade) to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 25 minutes, until the chicken is tender and thoroughly cooked.

Reduce the heat then stir in the cream. Return to a simmer and cook for 3 minutes to allow the ingredients to heat through and the flavours to meld.

Turn into a warmed serving dish and bring to the table.