Chicken Bharta with Dhungar Method

Ingredients

• 750 gms chicken, boneless thigh, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 1 ½ teaspoons vinegar
• 1 ½ teaspoons ginger garlic paste
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup water
• ¼ cup broken cashews
• 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
• ⅓ cup water
• 1 ½ tablespoons cooking oil
• 3 tablespoons ghee
• 1 teaspoon shahi jeera
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 ½ inch cinnamon stick
• 6 cloves
• 3 green cardamoms
• 10 peppercorns
• 2 green chillies finely chopped
• ¾ cups finely chopped onions, approx. 1 ½ onions
• 1 inch ginger finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
• ½ teaspoon red chilli powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons kashmiri chilli powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons coriander powder
• ¾ teaspoon cumin powder
• ¾ teaspoons salt
• ⅓ cup water
• ¾ cup tomato puree, approx. of 3 medium tomatoes
• 3 tablespoon curds, whisked
• 3 boiled eggs, chopped into 1 cm cubes
• ¼ teaspoon garam masala powder
• 3 teaspoons kasuri methi, dry roasted
• 1 ½ tablespoons fresh cream, optional
• 3 tablespoons coriander leaves
• 2-3 inches long charcoal
• ¼ teaspoon oil or ghee

Steps

1. Add all ingredients for cooking chicken to a pressure cooker and after the first whistle, cook on low heat for 5 minutes. Allow to depressurise by itself.
2. Drain chicken pieces & reserve the stock for use later. This should yield approx. ⅓ cup of chicken stock.
3. Chop chicken into 1 cm length and ¼ cm wide cubes. Do not shred the chicken as they turn mushy while cooking. Set aside.
4. Add all the ingredients mentioned for cashew poppy seed paste to a mixer grinder and grind to a smooth paste. Set aside.
5. Heat oil & ghee in a pan, add shahi jeera & all the whole spices given for the bharta and when they sizzle, add onions.
6. When onions turn light brown, add ginger garlic paste and fry for 2 minutes. Add red chilli powder, kashmiri chilli powder, coriander powder, jeera powder and fry for a minute.
7. Add tomato puree and fry for 6-8 minutes till oil & ghee separates from the sides of the pan.
8. Add cashew – poppy seed paste & whisked curds and fry for 4-5 minutes till oil separates from the sides of the pan.
9. Add the reserved chicken stock & boil for a minute.
10. Add chopped chicken, mix well & cook for 5 minutes.
11. Add ⅓ cup water to adjust the consistency & boil for a minute.
12. Add green chillies, ginger, garam masala powder & chopped eggs & cook for a minute.
13. Add kasuri methi, fresh cream & coriander leaves, give it a good mix, take off the heat. While the bhartha is still hot, follow the dhungar instructions.
14. Place charcoal on the gas flame and heat it for 5-7 minutes till it turns red.
15. Meanwhile, keep a steel bowl in the centre of the bharta pan & make sure that the pan has a proper lid to trap the smoke.
16. Hold the hot charcoal with tongs and put it in the bowl, pour oil on it and immediately cover the lid. Rest it for 3 minutes, discard the charcoal bowl and serve the bharta. (see note 6)