Achari Chicken or Chicken Pickle Recipe
Hot, sour and slightly sweet, achari chicken or chicken pickle is a relatively dry curry that is delicious, easy and fairly quick to cook.
Servings 2 Servings
Calories 758kcal
Ingredients
- 300 g Chicken Thigh Meat 12oz
- ¼ teaspoon Cumin
- ¼ teaspoon Coriander
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 2 Medium Onions 300g Total
- 30 g Ginger 1 Thumb-sized piece
- 8 Garlic Cloves
- 2 Whole Green Chilli Peppers
- 1 Medium Tomato 100-125g
- 75 ml Ground Nut Oil ⅓ Cup
- 6 Dried Red Chilli Peppers
- ½ teaspoon Brown Mustard Seeds
- ½ teaspoon Cumin Seeds
- ½ teaspoon Fennel Seeds
- ½ teaspoon Fenugreek Seeds
- ½ teaspoon Onion Seeds
- 1 teaspoon Dried Pomegranate Seeds Anardana
- 6 Curry Leaves
- 1-2 tablespoon Tomato Puree
- 3-4 tablespoon Malt Vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Jaggery
- 75 ml Water ⅓ Cup
- 1 Large Bunch of Coriander
Instructions
- Slice the chicken thighs into 5cm strips approximately 7-10mm in profile.
- Add the cumin, coriander, and salt to the chicken, then mix and allow to sit whilst you prepare the remaining ingredients.
- Cut the onion in half, peel it, then slice it into half-moon shapes 5mm (¼") thick.
- Peel the garlic and ginger and pound in a pestle and mortar to form a paste.
- Cut the green chilli peppers in half lengthways.
- Cut the tomato into 8 wedges, then cut out the seeds and discard them. Cut the remaining flesh into a 5-7mm dice.
- Heat the oil in a wok over a medium-high heat. When it's hot, add the dried chillies along with the mustard, cumin, pomegranate, fennel and fenugreek seeds.
- As soon as the seeds begin to crackle, add the curry leaves and onion, then cook for 5 minutes
- Add the chicken, reduce the heat to medium, stir well, then cook for 5 minutes, stirring a couple of times.
- Add the garlic and ginger paste, tomato paste, green chillies and tomato flesh, stir and cook for 2 minutes.
- Pour in the vinegar, water and add the jaggery, then stir well and cook on low-medium for 10 minutes.
- Roughly chop the coriander and stir it through the chicken just before serving.
Video
Notes
I like to use mustard oil for this dish; however, it is generally marked as "for external use only" in the UK, US and the EU, due to the levels of euric acid.
I only use it in a few dishes, and they are dishes that I don't eat often, but it adds an incredible flavour to some curries, this one being a perfect example.
If you are using mustard oil, you need to heat it to the smoking point first and then cool it a little before starting.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 | Calories: 758kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 47g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 31g | Cholesterol: 192mg | Sodium: 958mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 37g
