Yummy Jeera (cumin) Chicken
Growing up in East Africa, Tanzania to be precise...I have fond memories of Jeera Chicken...every Friday night I would go to the Patel club and order 'jeera chicken'. This chicken is absolutely the BEST! This recipe is not like the original but close enough, served with toasted bread and rice. (I serve it with roti's and rice).
Ingredients (for jeera chicken):
Growing up in East Africa, Tanzania to be precise...I have fond memories of Jeera Chicken...every Friday night I would go to the Patel club and order 'jeera chicken'. This chicken is absolutely the BEST! This recipe is not like the original but close enough, served with toasted bread and rice. (I serve it with roti's and rice).
Ingredients (for jeera chicken):
3-4 medium onions, chopped
2-3lbs chicken, cut into bite sized pieces
15 cloves of garlic, 1 inch piece of ginger, 10-12 hot green chili’s: throw these in a small chopper and pulse till they look very finely chopped, or grated
1/2 cup of cumin seeds
4tbs oil
5-6 cloves
2-3 pieces of cinnamon
2tsp ground coriander, 2tsp ground turmeric, ground cayenne to taste
3 cans organic tomatoes
salt, to taste
One bunch fresh cilantro, chopped finely
2-3lbs chicken, cut into bite sized pieces
15 cloves of garlic, 1 inch piece of ginger, 10-12 hot green chili’s: throw these in a small chopper and pulse till they look very finely chopped, or grated
1/2 cup of cumin seeds
4tbs oil
5-6 cloves
2-3 pieces of cinnamon
2tsp ground coriander, 2tsp ground turmeric, ground cayenne to taste
3 cans organic tomatoes
salt, to taste
One bunch fresh cilantro, chopped finely
Directions:
1) Take a large pot and add the oil to it, set it on medium heat
2) Add the cinnamon and cloves as soon as the oil warms up a bit
3) Add all of the cumin seeds, fry till seeds are golden brown and you can smell the toasted cumin seeds, be careful, it's very easy to burn the cumin and make sure they are toasted, undercooked cumin seeds will make the dish taste strange
4) Add the onions and fry until golden brown
5) Add the chili’s, garlic and ginger mixture and fry for at least 5 minutes, making sure not to burn the garlic
6) Add the ground turmeric along with the ground coriander and ground cayenne, fry for 4-5 minutes
7) Add the three cans of tomatoes, lower the heat just a little and let this mixture cook till it is thick, you will see the oil separating from the mixture
8) Add the chicken and put a lid on your pot, let cook for about 15 minutes, making sure you give it a good stir every now and then
9) Add vegetable stock to your chicken mixture to form a 'gravy' this step is purely up to you and you can add as much or as little stock, I like my gravy to be in between, no too thick and not too thin, so I add stock as I need it, I don't measure this part
10) Add salt to taste
11) Add the cilantro and turn the heat to a simmer, let the chicken simmer for about 30 minutes. You can use a Crockpot for this step, it will slow cook the chicken and it will be nice and hot when it is time to eat, the slow cooking makes the chicken tender and yummy. I use a Crockpot every time.
Serves: approximately 4-5 people.
Tip: If you are a vegetarian and you are preparing this dish, you can add the chicken at the very end, this way you can taste test every time you add spices! :) Get the family together, plate everything and enjoy this delicious meal with roti's and rice. I eat roti's and chicken first and I eat rice with the rest of the chicken left on my plate, you can also make a rice well on your plate, spoon the chicken mixture in the middle and eat everything at once! :) I hope you love this dish as much as I do
2) Add the cinnamon and cloves as soon as the oil warms up a bit
3) Add all of the cumin seeds, fry till seeds are golden brown and you can smell the toasted cumin seeds, be careful, it's very easy to burn the cumin and make sure they are toasted, undercooked cumin seeds will make the dish taste strange
4) Add the onions and fry until golden brown
5) Add the chili’s, garlic and ginger mixture and fry for at least 5 minutes, making sure not to burn the garlic
6) Add the ground turmeric along with the ground coriander and ground cayenne, fry for 4-5 minutes
7) Add the three cans of tomatoes, lower the heat just a little and let this mixture cook till it is thick, you will see the oil separating from the mixture
8) Add the chicken and put a lid on your pot, let cook for about 15 minutes, making sure you give it a good stir every now and then
9) Add vegetable stock to your chicken mixture to form a 'gravy' this step is purely up to you and you can add as much or as little stock, I like my gravy to be in between, no too thick and not too thin, so I add stock as I need it, I don't measure this part
10) Add salt to taste
11) Add the cilantro and turn the heat to a simmer, let the chicken simmer for about 30 minutes. You can use a Crockpot for this step, it will slow cook the chicken and it will be nice and hot when it is time to eat, the slow cooking makes the chicken tender and yummy. I use a Crockpot every time.
Serves: approximately 4-5 people.
Tip: If you are a vegetarian and you are preparing this dish, you can add the chicken at the very end, this way you can taste test every time you add spices! :) Get the family together, plate everything and enjoy this delicious meal with roti's and rice. I eat roti's and chicken first and I eat rice with the rest of the chicken left on my plate, you can also make a rice well on your plate, spoon the chicken mixture in the middle and eat everything at once! :) I hope you love this dish as much as I do
