Recipe for Chicken Rezala

I first tried Chicken Rezala at a traditional mughlai cuisine restaurant named "Sabeer's" in good old Kolkata. The aroma of the spices and the faint hint of sweetness in the gravy made my taste buds tingle. If I can describe the taste it should be something like "A spoonful of heaven in your mouth".

Ingredients:

• Cashew nuts: 10-15
• Poppy Seeds: 3 heaped tbsp
• Yogurt: 1 cup
• Chicken : 750 gm
• Fresh cream: 1 tbsp
• Onion paste: 1 cup
• Ginger paste: 1 and 1/2 tbsp
• Garlic paste: 1 and 1/2 tbsp
• Bay leaf: 1
• Dried red chilli: 2
• Cardamom: 3-4
• Cloves: 3-4
• Cinnamon stick : 2( 1/2 inch each)
• Cumin Powder: 1 tbsp
• Coriander Powder: 1tbsp
• Ghee: 2 tbsp
• Oil: 2 tbsp
• Salt
• Sugar : 1 teaspoon
• Keora water: 1 teaspoon
• Rose water: 1 teaspoon

Procedure:

1. Grind cashews and poppy seeds together in a mixer grinder, turn it into a thick paste.
2. Marinate the chicken in onion paste(take half), ginger paste, garlic paste, yogurt, coriander powder, cumin powder and salt. Keep aside for 30min-1 hr.
3. Heat 2 tbsp oil and 1 tbsp ghee in a kadai (wok), add dried red chilli, bay leaf, cinnamon, clove and cardamom.
4. Add remaining half onion paste and sugar and cook for 1-2 minutes until it turns brown.
5. Add the marinated chicken, cover and cook for 10 minutes.
6. Add the cashew and poppy seed mixture and cook for another 10 minutes.
7. Cook in medium heat until the chicken is tender and juicy.
8. Now add fresh cream and 1 tbsp ghee, mix well and cook till the gravy becomes thick.
9. Add rose water and kewra water and serve hot.

Served ideally with biriyani or butter naan/kulcha/mughlai paratha.