Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Murgh Saagwala (Chicken in Spinach)

Ingredients:
Chicken breasts, diced - 2
Spinach, frozen (thaw a bit, but without additional water) - 3/4 kg
Onions, sliced thick - 2
Tomatoes (diced if fresh, whole if canned) - 4-5 small
Ginger-garlic paste - 1.5 tbsp
Garam masala - 1.5 tbsp
Turmeric (optional) - 1/2 tsp
Red chili powder (optional) - 1 tsp
Cloves - 4
Cardamom seeds - 1/2 tsp
Bay leaves - 1-2
Heavy cream - 2 tbsp
Vegetable oil - 2 tbsp

Time (prep+cook): about 40 min
Servings: 2-3

Method:
Heat the oil. Add cloves, bay leaves and cardamom and fry for a couple of minutes to release the aroma of the spices. Add the ginger-garlic paste, mix well and add the onions. Stir fry until the onions are golden brown. Add the tomato pieces (if using canned tomatoes, add as little juice as possible). Cook for 5-10 minutes. Mix in salt, garam masala and turmeric (optional). Cook until the oil separates to the sides. Add the chicken and cook on a medium flame until the pieces are cooked through (up to 15 min). Now add the thawed spinach, mix well and cook covered on a low flame for 10 min. Stir in the heavy cream and simmer for about five minutes. Serve hot with rice or chapatis.

Author: Shrinkingsodacan
Source: Inspired by this recipe.

3 comments:

Baltimore Kappa Delta Alumnae Chapter said...

Sundar,
I'm a friend of Jenny and Greg and they made this for dinner one night when we were visiting. It was delicious! Where can I buy some of these ingredients in Baltimore? I definitely want to try it soon!

ShrinkingSodaCan said...

Sorry, I just read your comment. Jenny told me a few days ago that she had a very successful recreation of the dish that was appreciated by their guests. I'm glad you guys enjoyed it!
There are some Indian stores in Baltimore. I, however, have only frequented one of them because it happened to be near the Homewood campus. It's the Punjab Grocery Store on the intersection of 34th and Greenmount. A Google search for "Indian grocery Baltimore" resulted in this and this - you could find the one closest to where you live. For instance, there's one at 225 S Broadway. It's possible sometimes to find Indian items at other ethnic grocery stores (e.g., the Han Ah Reum supermarket, Asia Food)...

Of these, I've only been to Punjab and Han Ah Reum. The former's great for spice mixes, lentils, etc. The latter is excellent for fresh "exotic" veggies and fruit.

In the past, I've also ordered Indian groceries online. It's been a while and I don't think the one I used to frequent exists anymore, but there's tons of other sites.

Let me know if you have any luck!

ShrinkingSodaCan said...

Correction: actual store information is as below.
Punjab Groceries & Halal Meat
345 East 33rd Street, Baltimore, MD 21218-3432