Murghanu Shaak or Gujarati Chicken Curry cooked with vegetables, is chicken marinated in yoghurt and spices and then made into a sweet and savoury curry. Cooked in a broth with onions, ginger, green peppers and potatoes, this chicken curry recipe is as simple as it comes. It is a single-pot dish that can be made entirely in a pressure cooker. Gujarat has a long coastline along the Arabian Sea and thereby abundance of seafood, but historically, due to the state’s close relations with Jainism, a lot of Gujaratis practise vegetarianism. But Gujaratis can rustle up a non-vegetarian dish with just as much panache as any other non-veg loving community. Murghanu Shaak is simply a chicken curry recipe and its ingredients are easily found in most of the Indian kitchens.
Ingredients:
- 1 kg chicken medium-sized pieces
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1-inch ginger
- 3 green chillies (chopped)
- 200 gm turnip (medium-sized cubes)
- 200 gm carrots (medium-sized cubes)
- Coriander roots
- 1 cup water
- Salt, to taste
- 2 large onions (chopped)
- 3 large tomatoes (chopped)
- 3 large potatoes (peeled and cubed)
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp oil
- 3 cardamom pods
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 cloves
- 20 peppercorns
- 3 bay leaves
- 75 gm peas
- 75 gm beans (halved)
- 20 gm butter
- 20 gm coriander leaves (chopped)
Method:
- In a large mixing bowl, add the chicken, turnips, tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, garlic cloves, sliced ginger, chopped green chilies, coriander roots, onions, and yoghurt.
- Add salt, turmeric powder, and sugar.
- Mix everything well.
- Once done, set it aside.
For cooking:
- In a pressure cooker, add oil.
- Add the cinnamon stick, bay leaves, cloves, cardamom, and peppercorns.
- Stir till the oil becomes fragrant.
- Once the spices become aromatic, add the marinated chicken and vegetables.
- Add half a cup of water, and stir well while on medium flame.
- Cook until the chicken becomes tender.
- Once done, turn off the heat.
- Add the other half cup of water and turn on the heat.
- Let the chicken and vegetables simmer in the water with an open lid.
- When the curry consistency is to your liking, turn off the heat.
- Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
This quick chicken curry makes good use of the bounty of flavourful winter vegetables, including potatoes, sweet red carrots, sweet peas, green tomatoes, tender beans, and purple turnips.