My Chicken Curry

I have made this recipe by combining Mom's Chicken Curry, Didi's Chicken Curry, and by adding my own little tweaks. You will see that this recipe uses a lot of whole spices. They really do make a difference in the taste, so if you don't have the whole spice on hand you can use the ground version but it really won't come out the same. This dish takes about 2 1/2 hours to cook and usually serves about 5 people.


What you need:

1/3 cup of canola oil
3 large bay leaves
2 black cardamoms
15 green cardamoms
3 anise seeds
7 whole cloves
1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2 large red onions, chopped

7 to 9 chilies, put in the grinder
12 cloves of garlic, put in the grinder
2 inches of ginger, put in the grinder
(you can grind the garlic and ginger together but do not grind all three together. Didi says it will mess up the taste and I'm too afraid to see what it would taste like)

25 chicken wings (or three pounds of chicken chopped into 2 to 3 inch pieces)
19 rounds of the black pepper mill (probably about tsp regular ground black pepper)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp cumin powder
2 tsp coriander powder
1 1/2 tsp MDH Tandoori Chicken from box (my secret ingredient!)
2 tsp MDH Chicken Curry powder from box

7 to 9 stems of cilantro, washed and destemed
3 tbsp lemon juice concentrate (probably about 1 whole lemon squeezed)
1 tsp fenugreek leaves
3 tbsp plain yogurt
1 cup water

Step 1: Heat the oil and bay leaves until the bay leaves start to brown. Add the other whole spices and let them sizzle for a minute. They will start to puff up. Watch for popping seeds! Add the chopped onions and stir well. Cook the onions for 5 to 10 minutes on medium heat, until the onion starts to get brown around the edges.

Step 2: Add the grinded chilies to the onion mix, stir well and cook for 1 minute. Add the ginger and garlic to the mix, stir well and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken, turmeric, and black pepper, stir well and cover with a lid. Allow to cook for 10 to 15 minutes making sure to stir frequently to prevent burning. The onion will turn to water. You want to cook until the water from the onion is about half way gone.

Step 3: Add the ground spices to the chicken, stir well and cover with a lid. Allow to cook for another 10 to 15 minutes making sure to stir frequently to prevent burning.

Step 4: By now the chicken should look rather brown and the gravy should appear very thick. Add the cilantro and lemon juice to the chicken, stirring well. Add the fenugreek and stir well. Add the yogurt and stir well. Cover with a lid and let cook for 5 to 10 minutes stirring occasionally to prevent burning.

Step 5: Add the water and allow to cook for 10 to 15 minutes covered. Make sure to stir occasionally to prevent burning. Turn off the heat once the gravy has reached your desired thickness.

Serve with naan (we found some awesome Stonefire mini naan at Costco!), rice, or whatever you desire!

Chana Masala

This is another recipe that I recently learned from Didi. I have added a couple of my own little tweaks and changes but it's mostly hers!

You Need:

1/4 cup canola oil
1 large bay leaf
1 tsp jeera seeds (cumin seeds)


1 large fist sized onion, 1/2 chopped (set the other half aside)
1 large tomato or 2 small, 1/2 minced (set the other half aside)
7 to 9 stems of leaves (take the leaves off)
2 16oz cans of chick peas
1/4 tsp haldi (turmeric)
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp chole seasoning (boxed seasoning common in Indian grocery stores)
1/2 tsp red chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup of water

2 small green chilies (with slits down the side but not cut)
1/2 inch cinnamon stick (or 1/8 tsp ground)
3 whole cloves (or 1/8 tsp ground)
1/2 tbsp ghee (or butter, shhh!)
juice from 1/2 lemon or 1 tbsp lemon concentrate

Step 1: Put 1/2 onion, 1/2 tomato, and cilantro in the grinder and grind until smooth. Set aside. Put 1 16oz can of chickpeas in the grinder and grind until smooth (you might need to add a tbsp of water to make it easier to grind). Set aside.

Step 2: Add oil to the pan and heat over medium. Add bay leaf to oil and allow that to cook until it starts to brown. Add the cumin seeds and let them heat until they sizzle. Add the 1/2 chopped onion and allow it to cook until it starts to get just a little brown around the edges. Stir frequently to prevent burning.

Step 3: Add the 1/2 minced tomato to the onion mix. Add the haldi, garam masala, chole seasoning, garlic powder, and salt to the mix. Allow to cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the ground onion, tomato, and cilantro mix. Allow to cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add the ground chickpeas and allow to cook for another 2-3 minutes. You should be stirring frequently as you add things to prevent burning and to ensure things are cooking nicely.

Step 4: Add the water to the pan, cover with a lid, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Let this simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally (not as often as frequently!) to prevent burning.

Step 5: If you are using whole cinnamon and cloves, either use and mortar and pestal to grind them or do as I do and put them in a ziplock and crush with a rolling pin. Take a small pan or skillet and add the ghee or butter and allow to melt over medium heat. Add the melted chilies and let them cook until they sizzle, then add the ground spices. Stir a little and then add the lemon juice.

Step 6: Add the ingredients from the small pan to the Chana Masala pan. Stir well and remove from heat. Serve with naan, rice, or whatever your heart desires!