Chicken and Apricot Masala
- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1cup dried apricots
- ½teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
- 1teaspoon ground cumin
- 1teaspoon ground coriander
- 4cloves
- 4cardamom pods, lightly crushed
- 1tablespoon minced garlic
- 1tablespoon minced ginger
- ¼cup peanut oil
- 1cinnamon stick
- 2onions, peeled and finely chopped
- 1teaspoon salt
- 3pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, diced
- 4medium tomatoes, cut into ½-inch dice
- 2tablespoons tomato paste, diluted in ½ cup water
- 3tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
449 calories; 19 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 8 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 23 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 16 grams sugars; 47 grams protein; 656 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Soak apricots overnight in 2 cups cold water, or cover with 2 cups hot water and soak until swollen and softened, 2 to 3 hours.
- Step 2
Prepare masala: In a small bowl, combine hot pepper flakes, cumin, coriander, cloves, cardamom, garlic and ginger. Add ¼ cup water, and stir to make a paste. Set aside.
- Step 3
In a large sauté pan over medium heat, heat oil and cinnamon stick. Add onions and salt, and sauté until onions begin to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Add masala, and stir. Add chicken, and stir for about 5 minutes. Add apricots and their soaking liquid, diced tomatoes and diluted tomato paste.
- Step 4
Cover and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes. Check cooking liquid about halfway through; if chicken is covered with liquid, remove cover for remainder of cooking. Transfer to a large bowl, sprinkle with cilantro and serve hot.
Private Notes
Comments
The spices have to be bloomed in oil or your they are gritty. The onions have to be caramelized to add depth to the dish. Fewer tomatoes makes it less sweet.
2 cups of water is too much liquid.
This recipe has possibilities. Next time I will use less apricots (too sweet) and not soak them, just sliver them and add them to the pan. The soaked ones basically dissolved, and I think I would prefer actual fruit pieces.
I the spice mix is too mild and subtle for me; I would double them next time, along with increasing the garlic and ginger. I also used canned chopped tomatoes rather than fresh, and added a small amount of heavy cream at the end--about 3 tablespoons. I would do this again.
My first reaction to all the complaints of "blandness" and "too much liquid": Is it possible that the sauce was not cooked down (reduced) enough during cooking? Step 4 even hints at preventing this: during last part of cooking, remove the lid (which allows more liquid to cook away). This is a highly spiced dish and no way should it taste bland. You could also remove the chicken when its fully cooked and boil down the sauce until thick and flavorful enough to suit your taste.
For this recipe to work you need Indian dried apricots (khubani) which you can easily find in Indian grocery stores or Amazon. These you will have to soak overnight for them to plum, and when cooked they will maintain their shape and texture. Also, they are moderately sweet. If you use the apricots commonly found in American stores, they will completely dissolve while cooking. I would recommend adding them 5min before finish cooking. However they will still be very soft and sweet.
This was amazing! I made so much I took some to a friend's for leftovers. They were enjoying the meal until they unearthed a large shard of glass in it. Shard's origins remains a mystery. Will make again
made this dish few times alwsys good
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