20110225 To Khan (Chicken Curry)

(SOURCE: Indian: The Cookbook by Pushpesh Pant - To Khan)

This dish is originated in Tribal North East India. I really like this cookbook because it explained where each recipe is originated in, and the author described the various food regions of India in the first pages too. Together with Google search, I have learned a lot about Indian cuisine and culture too. This recipe led me to this excellent article about cuisine and culture of North East India.

This dish is not like the usual Indian dish, because of the short list of ingredients and the refreshing/minty sauce. I couldn't find green chilli, so simply used red chilli instead - I am actually not sure if there is a difference in their taste. I like the gingery/minty flavor, but the chicken tasted a bit dry so it may be best to use chicken with skin on it instead.

INGREDIENTS
1 kg chicken, cut into 5cm pieces
1 tbsp sunflower oil
1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped
3 onions, chopped
3 tomatoes, chopped
1 tbsp chopped garlic
1 tsp dried mint
salt

METHOD
1. Heat oil in a wok over low heat, and cook the chicken for about 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients, and cook for another 5 minutes.
2. Pour in 1 pint of water and simmer for about 30 minutes. Mix some cornstarch with lukewarm water, and stir in the cornstarch mixture to thicken the sauce.