We tasted this dish for the first time while at Shillong and I took an instant liking to its unique taste and flavour. It is a famous and traditional dish from the Khasi tribe of Meghalaya which is complex in flavour but easy to cook. Rice and meat are part of staple diet of Meghalaya. Khasi cooking doesn’t use too many spices. This dish is traditionally prepared with pork also. It is a side dish in Meghalaya cuisine. The black sesame seeds adds a unique flavour to the dish.
Ingredients
1. Chicken – ½ kg
2. Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
3. Potatoes diced - 2
4. Sesame seeds (til) – ¼ cup
5. Onions chopped – 2 big
6. Bay leaf – 2
7. Kashmiri dry red chillies – 6
8. Green chillies – 2
9. Ginger – 1 inch piece
10. Garlic – 15 cloves
11. Tomato – 1 big
12. Pepper powder – 1 tsp
13. Jaggery or sugar – 1 tsp
14. Salt
15. Refined oil – 3 Tbsp
Preparation
1. Marinate the chicken pieces with salt and turmeric for 30 minutes.
2. Dry roast the sesame seeds for 3-4 minutes till you get the aroma. Cool and keep aside.
3. Soak 4 kashmiri red chillies in ¼ cup of water for 30 minutes.
4. Make a paste of sesame seeds with ginger, garlic, tomato, green chilli and soaked kashmiri red chilli to a fine paste.
5. Heat oil in a pan and shallow fry chicken till it is golden brown. Remove from oil and keep aside.
6. In the same oil fry the diced potatoes and remove from oil and keep aside.
7. Add cumin seeds, bay leaf and 2 kashmiri red chilli to the same oil and fry for few seconds and add chopped onion and stir fry till onion turns brown. Add the sesame paste and stir fry on medium heat for 2-3 minutes till the oil separates.
8. Add the fried chicken, potatoes, salt and pepper. Mix well and stir cook for 4-5 minutes. Add 1-2 cups of water and cook covered on medium flame for 10 minutes till it is done. Add jaggery or sugar and cook for another two minutes and remove from flame.
Tips
1. Over toasting of sesame seeds gives bitter taste.
2. You can add more sesame seeds if you like the taste.
3. Traditionally mustard oil is used for the authentic flavour.
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