Methi Chicken (Fenugreek Flavored Chicken)

Certain combinations at times seem weird; when you hear of them the first question that comes to mind is 'will it work?’ Today's recipe is one such combination. When you hear chicken and methi (fenugreek) you begin to doubt if this marriage will work. Believe me, it works and works like magic.

There is nothing concrete that speaks of the origins of this dish; though I'm sure it must have been a genius to take two ingredients that are poles apart and come up with a winner. Most restaurants have it on the menu and I have seen recent variants like Methi Malai Murg or the Shahi Methi Murgh. I tried making this a couple of days back, and it came out simply yum... Although, I kept the gravy a bit less consciously to get that slight hint of bitterness from the fenugreek. The trick is to get the fenugreek to blend with the spices and yoghurt well. This is also a good way to ensure some healthy greens make their way to the tummy and tastes best when eaten with parathas or naan and goes reasonably well with pulao or rice

I’m sure you would want to try this out and I shall wait to hear from you on how it turned out.

Methi Chicken.

Ingredients:-

• 1 kg chicken
• 1 large bunch of fenugreek leaves (use only the leaves)
• 150 grams curd – beaten well (If you want some more gravy, increase the quantity of curd)
• 1 tablespoon red chilli powder
• 1 tablespoon turmeric powder (and some for marinating the chicken)
• 1 tablespoon garam masala powder
• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds (jeera)
• Whole Spices (a small cinnamon stick/ 2 small cardamoms/ 1 big cardamom/ 1 small bay leaf)
• 5 tablespoons oil or ghee (clarified butter)
•  Salt to taste
• Juice of half a lime.

Grind to a paste:-

•       2 large onions
•     10 pods garlic
•     1 small piece of ginger
•      3-4 green chillies

Procedure:-

• Clean, wash, cut the chicken and marinate it with salt, turmeric and lime juice and keep a side for about half an hour.
• Separate the methi leaves in two halves. Cut one half of it fine, and leave the other half whole.
• In a pan heat the oil and once it’s hot add the cumin seeds and whole spices and allow them to crackle a bit.
• Once the spices are cooked in the oil, add the paste of the onions, ginger- garlic and chillies and fry until the paste is light brown in colour. Add in the methi leaves and cook for a while.
• Now, add in the red chilli powder, turmeric powder & the garam masala powders and mix well. 
• Add in the curd and allow it to cook for a while till the oil separates.
•  Now add in the chicken pieces, salt and cook for about 15 minutes
•  Garnish with few methi leaves, and serve hot with parathas.