Easy Chicken And Dates Curry/ Quick Chicken With Dates

When we were newly weds, my late mum in law gave me a tattered and torn recipe book that belonged to her older sister who was an accomplished cook. The book was stained and well read with notes on many of the pages, next to various recipes that had been tried and tested. Many of the pages were missing and there were pages half torn and smudged as well. It was pretty apparent that it was a much loved and used cookery book. The recipes were very interesting and ranged from rice to meat to chutneys and pickles, a veritable treasure trove of recipes. I was very happy to receive it and meticulously tried out many of the recipes that have become cherished family favourites. One of the recipes was a chicken curry cooked with dates or apricots and I was fascinated with it. Since I love apricots and search for recipes with apricots all the time, I decided to try it with dates this time and that led me to Mughlai Cuisine and the use of dried fruits and nuts in Indian food.

The Mughuls not only influenced Indian culture, they had a lasting impact on Indian food. They actually changed the face of Indian Cuisine with the introduction of spices, dried nuts and fruits into the daily diet with the same spendour and magnificence attributed to them. They left a great influence and occupy a strong place in the cuisine of India; especially in the Northern parts of the country. It is one of the most richest, popular and lavish cuisines in the country and remains a royal culinary style.

Fast forward two and a half decades and I am in Kuala Lumpur teaching international tourists how to cook deceptively simple India food. Every class is a challenge and I am grateful for the opportunity to share my heritage through cooking classes.

PS: The girls I taught this to were twins from Germany and they loved the idea of cooking with dried fruits.

The Recipe:

The Ingredients:

1 kg skinless chicken pieces

4 medium tomatoes, chopped fine

2-3 tbsp. oil + 2 tbsp. ghee ( optional)

1 tsp salt to taste

½ cup of home made curds ( yogurt)

1/8 tsp saffron

1 tbsp vinegar or lemon juice

2-3 tbsp. chopped coriander leaves

Masala:

1 tsp chilli powder (I use a combination of Spicy Chilli Powder and Kashmiri Chilli powder which is mildly spicy)

¾ to 1 tbsp. shah jeera ( caraway seeds)

2 tbsp. khus khus (poppy seeds)

1 inch piece ginger

8 cloves garlic

6 large dates or apricots

2 inch piece cinnamon

4 cardamoms

4 cloves

1 large onion, sliced and fried crisp ( I do this – either fry or bake – the previous day and store in an airtight jar to save time).

Method:

Clean chicken, remove the skin, wash and cut into pieces. Apply salt and keep aside. Grind all the ingredients listed under Masala into a thick paste. Keep aside. Add 1 cup water to the blender and keep this aside too. Heat the oil and ghee in a deep pan. Add the masala and stir fry well for a few minutes. Next add the chopped tomatoes and continue cooking till the tomatoes become soft. Whisk the curds with the saffron threads. Add this next and continue frying till the masala becomes thick and collects in the centre of the pan . Add the chicken pieces, the water from the blender and cook till the chicken is done. Add water according to the consistency required. Lastly add the lemon juice or vinegar and check for seasoning. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.

To Attend My Healthy Cooking Class & Food Tours CLICK HERE