Chicken Curry

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 pounds whole chicken
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
• 3-4 cloves of garlic
• 2 inches ginger root
• 2-3 hot green chili peppers
• 1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes
• 1/4 cup lemon juice + 1/2 teaspoon salt +1/2 teaspoon cracked pepper, marinade
• 2-3 bay leaves, dried
• 1 1/2 cinnamon stick
• 3-4 whole black cardamom
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 5-6 cloves
• 2 1/2 tablespoon coriander powder
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 1/2 teaspoon garam masala powder
• 1/2 cup mustard oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoon ghee, clarified butter
• Salt to taste
• Handful of chopped cilantro

Directions

1. Combine the lemon juice, salt, and pepper marinade with the washed chicken, turning the pieces so they’re coated, and leave it for 30 minutes.
2. While that rests, blend the onion, ginger, garlic, and green chili into a thick paste, then keep it nearby.
3. Warm the oil in a heavy-bottomed pan with taller sides; a pressure cooker or wok works nicely here too. Roughly crush the cumin, cloves, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, and black cardamom, then tip them into the hot oil and stir while they pop and sizzle.
4. Sprinkle in the turmeric, give it a quick stir, then add the onion paste you made earlier. Set the heat to medium and cook, stirring now and then, until the moisture is gone and the mixture turns into a thick golden-brown paste.
5. Season with salt, add the coriander powder and chopped tomato, then bring the heat up to medium high. Continue cooking and stirring occasionally; the tomatoes will soften into a looser, smoother paste, and you want to keep going until the oil starts to show at the edges.
6. Stir in the garam masala, add the chicken, and fold everything together thoroughly. Turn the heat down to medium low, cover the pan, and cook, lifting the lid to stir from time to time. The chicken will give off plenty of liquid at first, but after 15-20 minutes on medium heat, that liquid will start to cook down. Now you can either leave the pot uncovered and keep cooking while stirring occasionally, or switch to the pressure cooker.
7. If you are using the pressure cooker, close and lock the lid, let it reach 2 whistles, then shut off the heat and leave it covered for another 15 minutes.
8. For slow cooking, keep it at medium low; the chicken should simmer another 20-25 minutes, until it is cooked through and the gravy has tightened into a thick consistency.
9. When the chicken is done, add the ghee and cilantro, and stir them in well. Cover the pan again and let everything rest for 15 more minutes before serving it with whatever bread or rice you like.