The East Indian Kitchen: Apricot chicken

This recipe uses Maharashtrian masalas, and apricots soaked in brown palm vinegar, which is Portuguese.  And there is saffron that came from the Arabs who traded in Bassein —  fusion food at its richest best.

Ingredients:

• 1 ¼ kg chicken • 200 g dried apricots • 100 ml brown palm vinegar • 2 tbsp oil • ½ cup onion paste • 3 medium tomatoes, chopped • 500 ml chicken stock

Masala: • 8 garlic flakes, roughly chopped • 1” piece of ginger, roughly chopped • 5-6 cloves • 8 dried red Kashmiri chillies • 1 tsp cumin seeds • 5-6 black peppercorns • 1 tsp salt • 1” stick cinnamon • 4-5 green cardamoms • 2 tbsp coriander seeds • ½ tsp poppy seeds • A pinch of saffron strands or turmeric powder

Method:

Wash chicken and cut into 16 pieces.

Soak apricots in vinegar.

Grind the masala ingredients to a fine consistency, gradually adding up to 100 ml of water. As required.

In a pan, heat oil and fry onion paste over moderate heat till brown. Stir in the ground masala and tomates. Cook till the oil separates.

Add the chicken and brown well in the masala.

Pour in the stock and simmer for 45 minutes or till the chicken is tender.

Mix in apricots and vinegar during the last few minutes of cooking.

Serve hot.

This recipe appears in the book The East Indian Kitchen authored by Cordon Bleu chef and food stylist Michael Swamy (Westland: Rs 395).