Chicken Dhansak Recipe
A chicken Dhansak is a perennial family and restaurant favourite curry. A Parsi recipe from North West India, it features a rich, boldly spiced lentil sauce.
Servings 2 Servings
Calories 707kcal
Ingredients
- 40 g Red Lentils ¼ Cup
- 50 g Toor Dal ¼ Cup
- 75 g Mung Beans ⅓ Cup
- 2 Chicken Thighs (Bone-in, Skin on)
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 1 Large Onion 200g
- 1 Medium Tomato 125g
- 80 g Spinach 2 Cups
- 50 g Ghee 3 tablespoon
Wet Masala:
- 2-3 Green Chilli Peppers
- 3 Dried Red Chilli Pepper
- 30 g Ginger 1 Thumb Sized Piece
- 3 Garlic Cloves
Dry Masala:
- 1 teaspoon Ground Coriander
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
- 1 teaspoon Ground Turmeric
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
- ½ teaspoon Asafoetida
- ½ teaspoon Black Mustard Seeds
- ½ teaspoon Ground Cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon Ground Cloves
- 1 tablespoon Dried Fenugreek Leaves
Instructions
The lentils:
- Wash the lentils, toor dal and mung beans, then add them to a medium (20cm or 8") saucepan.
- Add the chicken thighs and bay leaf.
- Add enough cold water to cover and season with half of a teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil.
- Whilst this is happening, peel and slice half of the onion into 1cm (just under ½") thick half-moons.
- Roughly chop your tomato into 1.5-2cm (½"-¾") chunks .
- Add the onion and tomato to the lentils, add a lid, reduce the temperature to low, and allow to simmer for 45 minutes.
The wet masala:
- De-seed the chillies; you can leave the seeds in if you wish.
- Peel the ginger and garlic.
- Now add all of the ingredients for the wet masala into a mini blender or pestle and mortar.
- Add just enough hot water to get it to come together as a smooth paste and set aside.
The dry masala:
- Place all of the ground ingredients in a bowl and mix.
Returning to the lentils:
- Remove the chicken from the pan and allow it to cool for a few minutes.
- Check the lentils if the mung beans need another 5 or 10 minutes, then simmer for a little longer. Once cooked, strain the lentil pan and reserve the liquid.
- Strip the chicken from the bone, discarding both the skin and bone.
- Cut the remaining half of the onion into 1cm (½") cubes.
- Heat the ghee in a wide-based (28cm or 11") frying pan over a medium-high heat. Cook the diced onion for 10 minutes until it begins to take on a colour.
- Add the wet masala and cook for 2 minutes.
- Sprinkle in the dry masala and cook for 60 seconds.
- Pour in the lentil mix, crushing it gently with the back of a spoon until you get a nice, rough-textured dal.
- Add as much of the cooking liquid as you like to form a consistency that you like.
- Add the shredded chicken and spinach.
- Stir for long enough to warm the chicken and wilt the spinach.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 | Calories: 707kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 53g | Fat: 42g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 19g | Cholesterol: 295mg | Sodium: 312mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 8g
