Wine Chicken with Rice: An experimental treat

So, it’s Sunday, and my nephew Sunny has been visiting over the weekend. So Pooja is playing the good host and cooking up a spicy treat. Last evening, she made a paneer dish that I missed out on because I was in office. But not to worry, she has some stored away for later.

Today, however, she was in the mood for some experiment: Something different with the regular Sunday-afternoon white rice for lunch. And we had some wine at home she did not care much for. The choice wasn’t all that difficult.

By popular demand, I will try to take the recipe route. Here’s the first step, the ingredients:

  • Chicken: 500 gm
  • Red wine: 80-100 ml
  • Tomato: 200-250 gm
  • Onion: 200 gm
  • Cumin powder: 20 gm
    Garam masala: 10-15 gm
  • Coriander powder: 10-15 gm
  • Chilli powder: 10 gm
  • Water: 400 ml
  • Cream: 50 gm
  • Sugar: 50 gm
  • Soya sauce: 40-50 ml
  • Ginger-garlic paste: 20-30 gm
  • Salt: According to taste
  • Cloves: 4-5
  • Cooking oil: 30-40 ml

Note the absence of turmeric, an otherwise staple in Indian cuisine? That’s the boldest step the wife has taken so far.

Pooja starts off by marinating the chicken in the red wine. The wine’s acidity gives the chicken a very distinct taste and hue. It almost looks like red meat!

The onion is chopped up finely in a mixer-grinder. That’s some good onion, because it made Sunny’s eyes teary, and he wasn’t even in the kitchen!

Next in the mixer-grinder are the tomatoes. No water needed in either of these pastes.

And that’s most of the preparation done! Time to cook, and Pooja starts by pouring the oil in, heating till it’s runny like water and the bubbles are done bubbling. She also puts in the cloves. And then go in the onion paste. Some stirring leads to the onion paste becoming brown and reducing in quantity, as it fries.

Then, in with the tomato paste, and a lot of stirring ensues. The coriander, cumin and chilli powder and the salt also go in now. The stirring will ensure good mixing. Not time for the water yet. Let the ingredients combine. They will team up to make for a Diwali-in-the-mouth flavour. It will be spicy, but not hot.

It’s starting to get real aromatic around here. The kind of aromatic that gets foodies’ juices flowing. The salivary juices, that is…

It’s time for the chicken to make an entry. The leftover wine from the marinade is kept aside for the moment.

The mix is already looking delectable. Time to pour in the water and dry it out, so the chicken cooks a bit more.

After the gravy becomes thicker, in go the cream and the soya sauce, with a little more stirring. And then, the Garam Masala.

There was a little bit of cream left over, and Dodo has been watching over the proceedings patiently. So Pooja decides it’s time to giver her “son” a little treat. And he is only too happy to oblige.

The end-product? Well, we were too hungry and it was too tasty. But here’s a quick glimpse of it. We had it with white rice. Needless to say, it was delicious!

Like what you see? Got a suggestion? Put in a word with us!

Meanwhile, to those fasting, Ramzan/Ramadan Mubarak, and have a hearty meal!

Arkadev Ghoshal

Share

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

Post comment