Chicken Boti

Servings : 6 - 8

Ingredients:

• Chicken - 4-5 lb (2 kg) bone-in, cut into small, 1.5 inch size, pieces,
• Fresh Tomato - 4-5, cut into long thin strips
• Green Capsicum/bell pepper - 1 lrg, cut into thin strips
• Onion - 1 lrg, cut into long thin strips
• Whole Green cardamon - 5 pcs
• Whole cinnamon - 1.5 inch stick,
• Whole black peppers - 6-7 pcs
• Whole Cloves - 1/2 tsp
• Anise seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Dried Bay leaf - 1-2

Spice mixture:

• Fresh Garlic clove - 4, crushed
• Fresh Ginger paste - 1 tbsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
  
• Cumin powder - 1 tsp
  
• Coriander powder -2 tsp
  
• Chili powder - 2 tsp (the dish is meant to be hot, but you can use less up to your preference)
  
• Paprika powder - 1.5 tsp (Paprika is not hot, but adds a distinct smokey flavour and colour)
• Ground Nutmeg - 1 tsp
• Ground Hot-spice - 1 tsp
  
• Lemon/lime juice - 2 tbsp
• Salt - 1 tbsp (or to taste)
  

Methods:

• 1. Cut the chicken into small, 1.5 inch long pieces, leaving the bone-in (you can use bone-less, but the bone-in chicken tastes better). Wash and pat dry with a paper towel.
• 2. Prepare the spice mixture and rub it in the chicken, coating all the pieces generously. Cover and marinate in a sealed dish, in the refrigerator for about no more than 24 hours (minimum 1/2 hour).
• 3. The next day, take the chicken out of the refrigerator and leave to come on room-temperature for about 1/2 hour, before cooking.
• 4. Heat 1/2 cup of oil in a non-stick wok, add the cardamon, cinnamon, cloves, anise seeds, bay leaf and the whole black peppers. Saute till the seeds start popping, add the onions.
• 5. Saute the onions till they turn translucent and a little brown on the edges. Add the chicken and saute on medium heat till they turn crispy on the outside and reaches a dark reddish-brown colour.
• 6. Add the tomatoes and the capsicums , stir in to mix everything.
• 7. Cover and cook on low heat for about 30 min or till the tomato blends in and creates a thick, sticky gravy*, stirring occasionally. Before turning the heat off, taste for salt, as by using the tomatoes the salt ratio will be down, so you might need to add a bit more salt depending on your taste.
• 8. Serve with Naan bread** and a simple salad.

Hints:
* If you want more gravy or a thinner version, then when you add the tomatoes, add a cup of hot water and don't add the capsicums yet. After the 30 min, once the tomatoes have melted down and gravy gets rich and thick, add the capsicums on top. Cover and turn the heat off and let to rest for about 10 min before serving. This will allow the capsicums to be softer but still stay crunchy.
** You can also serve it with the Polao or simple rice, in which case I like to make the chicken with the thinner gravy.