I’m a fan of meaty curries and fortunately, my mother is a great cook. In the last one year or more, while this pandemic made us sit within the four walls of our house without any social contact, a lot of people donned their chef hats. Several of them discovered a hidden talent and passion for cooking while some others gave up after a few attempts. During this time, we were avoiding ordering food from outside. So my mother and I would look up recipes online and search for lip-smacking dishes that can be made at home.
We tried everything, from vada pav and golgappe to prawn, fish, chicken and mutton curries. One day it was chicken vindaloo with steamed rice for lunch and the next day we were transported to the Kashmir valley with roganjosh and kormas. Amidst this long process of trying and testing new things, one dish tugged our heart strings like no other. It was the popular Chicken ghee roast.
A classic chicken curry from Mangalore, this fiery and spicy chicken dish left us tongue-tied. The rustic flavours of the spices like bay leaves and dry red chillies along with the semi-masala gravy of the chicken was the perfect partner for that bowl of plain rice. Although it was extremely spicy, we managed to bear with it. Ghee roast is a special technique of the South wherein chicken, mutton or these days, even paneer is tossed in the same spices to give a wonderful flavour.
Now, if you’re tempted to try Chicken Ghee Roast, we won’t stop you but definitely recommend that you keep these tips and tricks in mind.
1. Spices Are The King Of The Dish
When you’re making a regular chicken curry, powdered spices might work fine and give you a nice taste. However, ghee roast is different. It makes use of whole spices like red chillies, bay leaves etc. and any powdered version substitutes will not give the same authentic flavour as the traditional recipe. So avoid any such alteration.
2. Marinate Well To Taste Well
If you’re thinking that skipping the marination will quicken the process, well you may be right but don’t expect the real Ghee Roast flavour from the dish then. For the marination of the chicken, make sure the curd that you use isn’t very sour and is thick in texture. Curd is very intrinsic to the dish as is salt. If you are adding salt during marination, control your hands while sprinkling it during the cooking process.
3. Just A Touch Of Fenugreek Seeds
Too much or too little of anything is bad they say. However, in case of Ghee Roast, do not add too many fenugreek seeds as they may make the overall taste of the dish bitter.