Chicken Jalfarezi is a cuisine you can find in the menu of top Indian resturants. It is a recipe from Punjab and is known for its hot and spicy taste. I suggest to prepare this during the season when fresh peppers are easily available. This chicken cuisine is prepared with fresh green peppers, tomatoes and few very few indian herbs. It can be served with any indian bread or with rice. It got its name Jalfarezi due to the use of peppers. I recommend to use all the peppers like Red peppers, green peppers and yellow peppers as this enhances the taste and look of the cuisine. Remember to pick mildly hot peppers , it will add spiciness to cuisine. Jalfarezi or jal farezi means dry fry and this delicious hot dish does not have much gravy. Instead the thick sauce tantilising clings to spicy chunks of chicken and pepper.





Ingredients:
300g chicken breast

Marinade:
3cm piece of ginger, peeled and grated
4-5 fat cloves of garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp sweet red paprika powder
1 tsp home made garam masala
Salt & black pepper to taste .


For Jalfarezi:
3 tbsp peanut oil or vegetable oil
1 large onion, minced
300g peppers a mix of sweet, medium and hot to taste
8 dried curry leaves, crumbled (optional)
1/2 tsp cumin (optional)
3 large tomatoes peeled and roughly chopped
1-2 fresh hot chillis, thinly sliced (optional)
1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves .




Method:

1. Slice the chicken breasts into bite size pieces and put them in a bowl, add the marinade ingredients and mix to make sure the chicken is well coated.
2. Set aside for an hour or overnight for the flavours to penetrate the chicken.
3. Heat the oil in a large heavy pan, when it is very hot add the onions and peppers and fry stirring over a high heat until the vegetables are cooked and starting to blacken at the edges 10mins.
4. Add the curry leaves and marinaded chicken and stir fry until the chicken becomes opaque then add the chopped tomato and cook for a few more minutes until the tomato is soft and the chicken is just cooked through.
5. Stir in the coriander and fresh chilli slices, serve with Chapathis or any indian breads or rice.

Preparation Time: 20 minutes.
Cooking Time: 20 -25 minutes.
Serves: 3 persons approximately.
Serving Sugesstions: Serve hot with any Indian bread like Roti, Naan or Paratha . It can be served with rice too.
Shelflife: 1 day.


Note:

• Add seeds from the chillies or use red chillies for more heat.
• Most of the cooking in this dish is done before the chicken and tomatoes are added, the chicken should only just be cooked through and the tomatoes soft but still fresh tasting.
• Dont overcook the chicken and make it hard and rubbery. Just cook till it is soft and tender.

Click here to know more about Punjabi Foods and Cuisines - An Introduction To Punjabi Foods And Cuisines.