Railway Dhabba Chicken Curry
Same dhabba spicing, fraction of the time. On the table in 45 minutes, tastes like it's been cooking all day. The chicken thigh is doing the heavy lifting here — don't use breast, it'll dry out and you'll blame me.
Ingredients
Makes 4 portions
- 800.00 grams boneless chicken thighs, cut into chunks
- 2.00 tablespoon ghee
- 2.00 piece(s) onions, sliced thin
- 1.00 piece(s) fresh ginger, grated
- 6.00 clove(s) garlic cloves, crushed
- 3.00 piece(s) green chillies, slit lengthways
- 1.00 tin(s) tinned chopped tomatoes
- 1.00 bunch fresh coriander , stalks in the curry, leaves on top
- 1.00 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2.00 teaspoon coriander seeds, lightly crushed
- 3.00 piece(s) green cardamom pods, crushed
- 1.00 piece(s) cinnamon stick
- 3.00 piece(s) cloves
- 1.00 piece(s) bay leaf
- 1.50 tablespoon coriander powder
- 2.00 teaspoon cumin powder
- 2.00 teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder
- 1.00 teaspoon chilli powder
- 1.00 teaspoon turmeric
- 2.00 teaspoon garam masala , end only
Per portion
Method
-
1
Heat ghee, add cumin seeds, coriander seeds, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon and bay leaf. Sizzle 60 seconds.
⏱ About 1 mins
-
2
Add sliced onions and a pinch of salt. Cook until deep golden. Medium heat, stir more often than the lamb version. Still needs to be properly brown, not just softened.
⏱ About 12 mins
💡 Add a pinch of salt to draw out the moisture. Helps them caramelise faster.
-
3
Add ginger, garlic, green chillies and chopped coriander stalks. Cook 2 minutes until fragrant.
⏱ About 2 mins
-
4
Add coriander powder, cumin powder, both chilli powders and turmeric. Stir for 2 minutes, splash of water if catching.
⏱ About 2 mins
-
5
Add the chicken thigh pieces, stir to coat everything in the spice paste. Cook 3-4 minutes until sealed.
⏱ About 4 mins
-
6
Add tinned tomatoes and 100ml water. Bring to a boil, drop to low simmer, lid on.
⏱ About 25 mins
💡 Don't touch it. Don't stir it. Let the chicken cook in the sauce. After 25 minutes the gravy should be thick and the oil separating on top.
-
7
Off the heat, stir in garam masala, lid on for 5 minutes. Scatter coriander leaves and a slit green chilli on top.
⏱ About 5 mins
📦 Batch Cooking Guide
Storage
Fridge 3 days. Freezes for 2 months.
Reheating
Hob, gentle heat, splash of water. Don't nuke it on high in the microwave or the chicken goes rubbery.
Serving ideas through the week
Day 1: With cauliflower rice. Day 2: Cold for lunch with a side salad — sounds wrong, tastes right.
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