Jeera Chicken means chicken cooked with cumin. This is the signature dish of a family of Kenyan Asian restaurateurs, the Anands, who settled in Southhall in the 1970s and established the highly successful Brilliant and Madhu's Brilliant restaurants. This simple and delicious dish works as a starter, as well as a main course.
The recipe is taken from Pat Chapman's Curry Bible.
Ingredients:
450 g chicken fillets, chopped
50 g butter
1 tbsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp ground cumin
150 ml chicken stock or water
salt to taste
Method:
Heat the butter in a deep frying pan or wok to quite a high heat. Add the cumin seeds and stir-fry for about 30 seconds.
Add the ground cumin and continue to stir-fry for further 30 seconds.
Then add 3-4 tbsp stock or water and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes more.
Add the chicken pieces and stir-fry briskly for about 2 minutes.
Lower the heat, add the remaining stock or water and cook for 5 minutes, stirring as necessary.
To finish off, turn up the heat and resume brisk stir-frying for about 5 minutes to reduce the remaining liquid to a dryish gravy and coating.
Check that the chicken is cooked, add salt to taste and serve as a starter with chutneys or as a main course with puris.
Bon Appetit!
