Saag Chicken Stew

By Kitchen Butterfly • March 7, 2010 • 0 Comments

⎙

Author Notes: Dinner in a hurry. No time to stop and think. All that sat in my head was coconut rice with something hot, something with chilies. And so Saag chicken stew was born, inspired by a Mutton version in Hot! Hot! Hot! - Kitchen Butterfly

Serves 4

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon butter or ghee
1 large onion, grated
1 tablespoon grated ginger
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 teaspoon tumeric powder
3 cardamom pods, pounded to split open (don’t let the seeds get away)
1 whole cinnamon stick or 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 chicken breast, chopped into blocks
2 potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
100ml greek or turkish yoghurt (though plain or soy yoghurt would do)
8 cherry tomatoes
150 ml Water
300 g spinach (I used frozen)
1 coriander cube or 2 tablespoons chopped coriander/cilantro
2 -3 whole chilies (to taste), split
Salt to taste

Put oil and butter in a large pan on low – medium heat. Once melted, add onions, ginger, garlic, turmeric, cardamom and cinnamon. Stir and let them simmer gently till their aroma starts to surround you
Add chopped chicken and potatoes. Let cook for a few minutes then add yoghurt and stir well to combine.
Add the tomatoes, water, spinach and cilantro (fresh or frozen). Stir well and salt.
Add chilies, to taste. Stir well and simmer covered for 1/2 an hour, checking and stirring regularly.
When it was ready, crush some (not all) of the potatoes so you end up with a nice thick sauce.
Perfect with Coconut rice, Banana-yoghurt dip (Banana mashed with yoghurt) and Masala chai. Tastes even better the morning after....