Chicken Kheema

Subhash had been having a stressful week and I wanted to make something special for him. Luckily I found ground chicken in the grocery store and I decided to surprise him with this dish. Looking at the smile on his face was worth the time spent in the kitchen :) So here is the recipe for Chicken Kheema which is said to have originated in Persia but is extremely popular in India and Pakistan.

Ingredients:

1 lb ground chicken (You can use any other kind of ground meat too)

1/2 cup peas ( fresh or frozen)

1 large onion, chopped

1 tsp Ginger Garlic paste

2 Green Chillies, chopped

1/2 tsp Turmeric

1/2 tsp Red Chilli powder

Salt to taste

2 Bay Leaves

4 Cloves

2 Cardamoms

1/2 inch piece Cinammon

Oil for cooking

Cilantro for seasoning

Method:

- Take oil in a pan. Add the whole garam masala. Then add the onions and saute till golden brown. (Sometimes I omit the whole masala and add ground garam masala powder instead, both taste equally good)

- Add ginger garlic paste. Also add turmeric, salt and red chilli powder and cook till the oil separates from masala. (You can also add 1/2 tspn of kitchen king or chicken masala or garam masala).

- Now add the peas and cook for 5 minutes.

- Add the ground chicken and cook well on medium heat, stirring occasionally till all the water in keema dries up and it looks grainy.

- Remove from heat. Sprinkle cilantro and serve with naan, roti, paratha or pav