Pepper Chicken Dry

Ingredients

• - 500g chicken
• - 3 tbsp sesame oil or oil
• - 2 large onions
• - 2 tomatoes
• - 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
• - 1 tsp red chilli powder
• - 1 tsp coriander powder
• - 1/2 tsp turmeric
• - 1/2 tsp garam masala
• - 1 sprig curry leaves
• - Salt to taste
• - Fresh coriander

Method

1. Marinate chicken: Cut 750g chicken into small pieces. Mix with 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste, 1 tsp turmeric, half tsp red chilli powder and salt. Marinate 30 minutes.
2. Make pepper paste: Grind 2 tbsp black peppercorns, 1 tsp fennel seeds and 6 garlic cloves to a coarse paste — the pepper is the star, keep it bold and coarse.
3. Fry shallots until very dark: Heat 4 tbsp sesame oil. Add 1.5 cups sliced shallots and fry on medium heat 12-15 minutes until very dark golden.
4. Add pepper paste: Add the coarse pepper-garlic paste to the dark shallots. Fry on medium heat 5-6 minutes stirring constantly.
5. Add marinated chicken: Add chicken pieces. Toss on high heat 8-10 minutes until chicken changes colour completely.
6. Cook dry: Do not add water — pepper chicken is a dry dish. Reduce heat to medium and cook 15-18 minutes stirring every few minutes.
7. Add spices: Add 1 tsp garam masala and 1 tsp coriander powder. Toss and cook 3 minutes.
8. Add curry leaves: Toss in a large sprig of curry leaves. Fry 1 minute until aromatic.
9. Check doneness: Chicken should be fully cooked and masala completely dry — no gravy at all.
10. Serve: Adjust salt. Pepper chicken dry should be dark, coated with black pepper and intensely spiced. Serve with rice or parotta.