Murgmussalam Recipes

MURGH MUSALLAM RECIPE BY CHEF ZAKIR

Steps:

• Wash whole chicken properly.
• In a small bowl, mix together the yogurt, ginger garlic paste, ground onion, salt and red chili powder.
• Spread this mixture ove the whole chicken and marinate it for 2 hours.
• Stuff chicken with blanched almond, raisin, boiled egg and brown onion.
• Seal the chicken properly and tight with a string.
• Heat ghee in a wok over medium heat.
• Put marinated chicken in ghee and fry well for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
• Remove chicken from the wok and keep aside.
• In the remaining ghee, 6 cloves,cardamom and remaining marinade mixture, also add a little brown onion and fry well.
• Now add fried chicken and a little water, simmer on low flame for 40 minutes or until chicken is done.
• Now, add a pinch of saffron dissolved in 1 tbsp kewra.
• Remove in a serving platter and serve with bakar khaani naan.

MURGH MUSALLAM RECIPE

Steps:

• Clean and brine the chicken for a minimum of 4-5 hours
• In a pan roast the sesame seeds, poppy seeds, cashew nuts and keep separate
• Grind the sesame seeds, poppy seeds and half of the cashew nuts to a fine powder
• Soak byadgi red chilies in water for a couple of hours. You can also use Kashmiri red chilies
• In a grinder, make a paste of the red chili paste, ginger and garlic and separate in a bowl
• Chop the onions mentioned under 'For the Murgh Musallam Gravy' and 'For the Stuffing' (in the header under Ingredients) and keep aside
• Boil both the eggs, and de-shell. Keep it aside
• Chop the green chilies and tomatoes and keep aside
• Heat oil in a kadai
• Drop in the chopped onions and fry till golden brown
• Add in the ginger garlic paste and turmeric and cook till the raw flavor disappears
• Add in the cumin, coriander and red chili powder and cook. If required, splash in some water to avoid burning of the spices
• When the oil begins to separate, add in the minced chicken (or mutton) and cook
• Stir in between to ensure that the minced chicken does not stick to the bottom and burn
• Add green chilies and salt and simmer
• Add in water if required
• Keep it separate in a bowl and allow to cool
• Once the keema has cooled down, we will proceed with the stuffing
• Take chicken and stuff the keema through the belly
• Add the roasted cashews and raisins as mentioned under 'Other Ingredients Required for Stuffing' except the thread
• The eggs should be stuffed in a way to prevent the minced chicken/keema from coming out. It is fine if the eggs crack when you try to stuff inside the chicken
• Take a cotton thread and tie the chicken in such a way so that the minced meat and eggs do not come out while cooking it in the gravy in the next steps. You can do this by putting the thread under the neck, bring it from above the wings, and tie it around the legs. The legs will act as the wall preventing the stuffing from coming out while cooking in the gravy
• Keep it aside, carefully
• Heat oil in a wok
• Drop in all the whole spices listed under 'Whole Spices for the Murgh Musallam Gravy'
• Cook on a low heat to allow all the flavors to get in the oil
• Add in the cumin seeds
• Once the cumin seeds splutter, add in the chopped onions
• Allow the onions to cook. Once the onions start turning golden brown, add in the red chili paste (along with ginger and garlic paste) prepared previously
• Cook till the raw flavor go away
• Add in the powdered spices - turmeric powder, cumin powder and coriander powder and cook. Add tomatoes and cook.
• Add in the curd and cook till the mixture starts releasing oil
• Add in the cashew, sesame, poppy seeds paste prepared in the Preparation stage
• Cook till the mixture is properly cooked and starts releasing oil
• Add in water, green chilies and salt and bring the gravy to a boil
• Check for seasonings and consistency of gravy
• Once the gravy comes to the desired consistency, carefully place in the stuffed chicken in the gravy breast down
• Take a spoonful of gravy and put it on top of the chicken. This process is called basting
• Every couple of minutes, using a spoon rotate the chicken in the kadai. This will prevent the spices under the chicken from sticking to the bottom of the kadai and getting burnt
• Repeat the last two steps above for 20 minutes
• Now using a spoon and spatula turn the chicken upside down. So previously the chicken was placed breast/chest down in the gravy. This will be now on top
• Repeat the basting like we did previously
• Every couple of minutes, using a spoon rotate the chicken in the kadai like we did previously
• Repeat this process for another 20 minutes
• Check seasonings and adjust, if required
• Serve hot with roomali roti or lachha paratha

MURGH MUSALLAM

Steps:

• Make a paste of two teaspoons cumin seeds, mace, nutmeg, cardamoms, cloves and cinnamon.
• In a bowl mix together ginger-garlic paste, brown onion paste, green chilli paste, ground spices, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, yogurt, salt and one tablespoon oil. Marinate the chicken in this above mixture for three to four hours in the refrigerator.
• Heat the remaining oil in a deep pan, add the remaining cumin seeds, bay leaves and green chillies and sauté for a minute. Add the onions and sauté till they are lightly browned. Add the marinated chicken along with the marinade. Sauté, stirring lightly till the oil begins to separate. Add just enough water to cover the chicken, adjust salt and cook till the chicken is done. Transfer into a serving dish, sprinkle garam masala powder and garnish with coriander leaves.
• Serve hot with naan or rice.