Murg Saagwala / Spicy Spinach Chicken Curry
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A scrumptious, spicy and creamy Spinach Chicken that is a winter special Punjabi curry
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Ingredients
FOR MARINATION
- 1 tbsp Lime Juice
- 5 tbsp Greek yogurt drained Yogurt** (see notes at the end of the post)
- 1 tbsp Ginger garlic paste
- 1 tsp Green Chili paste fresh
- ½ tsp Garam Masala
- 1 kg Chicken curry cuts (on bone…highly recommended for a flavourful curry)
FOR CURRY
- ½ kg Spinach leaves if stems are tender, include them as well
- 50 ml Milk
- 3½ tbsp Cooking Oil I use cold pressed Mustard Oil
- ½ tsp Cumin Seeds
- 2 Black Cardamoms
- 6 Green Cardamoms
- 12 Black Pepper crushed
- 5-6 Cloves
- ½ inch Cinnamon
- 1 Bay Leaf large, torn in half
- 1¼ cup Onions sliced
- 150 gm Tomato large, pureed (without adding water)
- ½-1 tsp Red Chili powder adjust to taste
- ¾ tsp Turmeric Powder
- 2 tsp Coriander Powder
- 1 tsp Cumin Powder roasted
- Salt to taste, I added approximately 1 tsp
- 1½ to 2 tbsp Cream plus extra for drizzling
- 2 tsp Ghee plus extra for drizzling
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Instructions
HOW TO MARINATE
- Wash and pat dry the chicken. Make slits in the thigh piece and the chicken legs if the pieces are large. This helps the marinade to penetrate deep into the chicken pieces.
- Transfer the chicken in a glass mixing bowl. Mix in one tablespoon of lime juice and set aside for ten mins
- Now add the yogurt, ginger garlic paste, green chili paste and garam masala. (those sensitive to the heat of green chili should use spatula or gloves to mix in the marinade)
- Mix everything well till all pieces are well coated. Cover and keep chicken bowl in the fridge for at least two hours (in case you are really pressed for time, half an hour should suffice) I always marinate the chicken, over night.
MAKING THE CURRY
- Wash spinach in plenty of water at least three to four times to get rid of any dirt / grit. Place the spinach in a colander to drain excess water.
- Bring at least two litres of water to boil and add the washed spinach to it. Cook for approximately two minutes. Remove the spinach from the water and plunge in cold water to stop the process of cooking.
- Drain the contents and squeeze out excess water from the spinach by pressing it between your cupped hands.
- In a blender, add 50 ml of milk and add spinach. Blend till the spinach to attain purée (I do not go for a fine texture of purée)
- Decant the puréed spinach in to a bowl and set aside.
- Heat a heavy bottom pan with raised sides or a pot and add oil. (In you are using mustard oil, like me, ensure that it is properly smoked before use)
- Add the whole spices (cumin seeds, black cardamom, green cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon, crushed black peppers, and bay leaves) and stir around the spices for a few seconds while the cumin seeds crackles.
- Add the sliced onions. Fry till they begin to turn brown. (At this point i advise you to reduce the heat and quickly get rid of whole garam masala so that someone doesn’t bite on it when you serve the curry)
- Add tomato pulp and cook the tomato till the masala begins to release oil around the sides of the pan.
- Add the marinated chicken and cook on high heat for ten minutes. Add powdered spices – red chili powder, turmeric, coriander powder, salt and roasted cumin powder. Stir well so the spices are well assimilate and cook for a minute.
- Reduce heat and cover and cook till the chicken is nearly done.
- Add spinach puree and also add half a cup of milk (add more if required, to adjust the consistency). Cook for a five more minutes. Add and stir in the cream along with the ghee.
- Decant the chicken in the serving bowl (at this point, smoke the chicken if you wish to and then proceed further)
- Drizzle over some more cream (optional though) and some ghee (highly recommended) before serving.
- It tastes great with chapati, naan and rice. Serve with a simple salad of onion, cucumber and carrots or with some pickled onions and beets (highly recommended)
Notes
- The ratio of chicken to spinach is flexible and feel free to suit your taste. We prefer to serve the curry somewhat thick. Adjust consistency to suit your taste.
- ** In case you do not have Greek yogurt or drained yogurt, use three tbsp regular dahi (yogurt) and add two tablespoons of cream to it for marinating the chicken.
- The consistency of the curry depends on how you like it. Feel free to add some water or milk to loosen it up
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Recipe Nutrition
Calories: 517 kcal | Carbohydrates: 19 g | Protein: 30 g | Fat: 37 g | Saturated Fat: 10 g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8 g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17 g | Trans Fat: 0.2 g | Cholesterol: 105 mg | Sodium: 217 mg | Potassium: 1270 mg | Fiber: 7 g | Sugar: 5 g | Vitamin A: 12411 IU | Vitamin C: 49 mg | Calcium: 240 mg | Iron: 6 mg
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