Chicken Salan Recipe | Pakistani Chicken Shorba Curry
This classic, comforting chicken curry is one of those dishes a Pakistani kitchen is incomplete without. This is a versatile and forgiving dish. Use minimal ingredients and whatever spices you have access to to create this hug in a bowl
- Prep time
- 5 min
- Cook time
- 50 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 1/2 cup oil
- 1 medium onion (finely diced)
- 2 tomatoes (halved)
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp minced ginger
- 2-2.5 tsp salt (or to taste)
- 2 tsp paprika or Kashmiri red chilli powder ((essential for the colour))
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 tsp coriander powder
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 whole cloves
- 10 whole black peppercorns
- 1 green cardamom
- 1 tsp chilli powder (please taste before adding this, and adjust as per your spice preference)
- 1 medium chicken, bone in, curry-cut into approx 12-14 pieces
- chopped coriander or dried fenugreek (to garnish)
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
Instructions
- 1
Heat the oil in a deep pot
- 2
Add in the diced onions. Cook these on a medium high heat till the onions become translucent and begin to brown lightly on the edges,
- 3
Add the halved tomatoes and a splash of water. Cover and steam this on low for about 5 minutes, lid on. Once the 5 minutes are up, the skin should slip off the tomatoes easily. Remove and discard.
- 4
Turn the heat up, add the garlic, ginger and all the spices and dry out the masala, stirring constantly. Use your spoon to mash the onions and tomatoes as you stir. Alternatively, you can blend these to get a super smooth masala fast.
- 5
Once the masala is super dry, the oil begins to separate at the edges and the masala begins to catch at the bottom of the pot, add the chicken.
- 6
Sauté the chicken on high heat, again stirring constantly, until the chicken changes colour and no longer remains pink.
- 7
Add 2.5 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer on low for half an hour.
- 8
Once the chicken is cooked through, stir in the garam masala and coriander/dried fenugreek.