Chicken Dhansak

Chicken Dhansak is a traditional British Indian Restaurant (BIR) recipe for a classic dish of chicken in BIR base curry auce with vegetables, curry powder and garam masala acidified with lemon juice and sweetened with jaggery. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic African Fusion version of: Chicken Dhansak.

prep time

15 minutes

cook time

25 minutes

Total Time:

40 minutes

Serves:

Rating:

Tags : Curry BIR Curries Spice Recipes Chicken Recipes Vegetable Recipes Bean Recipes British Recipes

Originally a Persian dish, the thick, sweet and sour Dhansak dish was introduced to India by a Parsees that, escaping persecution, made their way to Gudjrat about 1500 BCE. In this case the gravy is based on the BIR base curry sauce, is thickened with red split lentils, sweetened with jaggery and acidified with lime or lemon juice (diluted tamarind paste in more 'authentic' versions).

Ingredients:

120g red split lentils, washed and well rinsed
3 tbsp ghee
1 tsp turmeric powder
600ml Base Curry Sauce (either base curry sauce or Indian restaurant curry base)
400g Indian cooked chicken or tandoori chicken
400g mixed (frozen or tinned) vegetables, cut into small pieces
1 green chilli, chopped
1 tbsp tomato ketchup (I prefer home-made as its less sweet)
1 tbsp mild curry powder eg madras curry powder
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tbsp grated jaggery (or sugar)
1 tbsp lime or lemon juice
salt, to taste

Method:

Wash the lentils well then place in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 25-30 minutes until tender. Drain and set aside.

In the meantime, heat the ghee in a pan or wok over medium heat. add the turmeric and 3 tbsp of the base curry sauce. Allow to warm through then add the chicken and stir-fry until all the pieces are browned (about 2 minutes).

Pour in the remaining base curry sauce along with the cooked lentils and all the remaining ingredients. Stir well to combine, bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes to allow the flavours to meld.

Stir well, add a little water if the sauce is too thick and continue cooking for about 5 minutes, or until the chicken is heated through.