Chicken Dhansak with step by step photos and a video recipe. Tender chicken cooked in a thick and creamy lentil sauce lightly spiced with aromatic spices. Let’s make this sweet, sour, and mildly spicy curry at home in three simple steps. Serve this restaurant-style curry with Naan or steamed rice.
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time35 minutesmins
Total Time45 minutesmins
Course: Main
Cuisine: Indian, Parsi Cuisine
Servings: 6people
Calories: 580kcal
Author: Preeti
Equipment
1 Heavy bottom pan or skillet
1 Deep bottom pot
Ingredients
For Dhansak Dal
¼cupmoong dalsplit green gram
¼cuptoor dalyellow split pigeon peas
¼cupmasoor dalred lentils
½cuponions
¾cupPumpkin
½cupBrinjalAubergine
1cuptomatoes
½cupcoriander leaves
½cupfenugreek leaves
¼cupmint leaves
½teaspoonturmeric powder
salt to taste
For Dhansak Masala
1.5tablespooncoriander seeds
1teaspooncumin
1teaspoonblack peppercorns
½star anise
4green cardamoms
6cloves
1-inchcinnamon
1bay leaf
a small piece of nutmeg
For Chicken Dhansak Curry
1cuponionsfinely chopped
2tablespoonginger-garlic paste.
2teaspoonKashmiri red chili powderadd as per taste
1teaspoonspicy red chili powderadd as per taste
3teaspoonprepared dhansak masalaif using store bought add 2 teaspoon masala
600gboneless skinless chicken breastscut into cubes
salt to taste
1tablespoontamarind paste (or tamarind pulp)substitute 2 teaspoon lemon juice
coriander leaves
Instructions
Step1: Cook Dhansak Dal
Rinse the dal 2-3 times and soak it in water for an hour. Drain off the water. In a pressure cooker, add moong dal (split green gram), toor dal (yellow split pigeon peas), masoor dal (red lentils), onions, pumpkin, brinjal (Auborgine), tomatoes, coriander leaves, fenugreek leaves, mint leaves, turmeric powder and salt.
Add 3.5 cups of water. Close the lid. Cook on medium heat for 4-5 whistles. Remove from heat.
Once the pressure is released, mash the dal with the back of the ladle. Or grind it to a fine paste using hand blender.
If you do not have a pressure cooker, you can cook it in a deep-bottom pan with a lid and cook until the lentils are cooked.
Step 2: Prepare Dhansak Masala (You can skip this step and use store bought Dhansak Masala)
If you have store bought Dhansak masala, skip this step.
In a heavy bottom pan or skillet, dry roast coriander seeds, cumin, black peppercorns, star anise, green cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon and bay leaf on medium-low heat until aromatic. Transfer it to a plate to cool down to room temperature. Stir continuously to prevent burning.
Transfer it to a mixer or spice grinder. Add a small piece or nutmeg. Grind it to a fine powder. Homemade dhansak masala is ready.
Step 3: Make Chicken Dhansak Curry
Heat 2 tablespoon of ghee and 1 tablespoon of oil in a pot over medium heat.
Add onions and sauté until onions are transparent.
Add ginger-garlic paste and sauté for 2 minutes or until raw smell from ginger and garlic leaves.
Add Kashmiri red chili powder, spicy red chili powder and 3 teaspoon of prepared dhansak masala. If using store bought masala use only 2 teaspoon of it. Saute on medium low heat for 30 seconds.
Add 2-3 tablespoon of water and combine. Cook the masala until it starts to release oil from the sides. Addition of water prevents the masala from burning. Repeat the process and cook for 3-4 minutes or until the masala starts to release oil from the sides.
Add chicken and salt. Sauté until the color of chicken turns from pink to white.
Cover and cook on medium low heat until the chicken is cooked. Stir it in between as required.
Add ¼ cup of water, mashed dal and tamarind pulp. Stir to combine. Cover and cook on low heat for 10 minutes. Stir it in between as required.
Taste the gravy and adjust the salt and spices as per taste. You can add water to adjust the consistency of the curry to your liking.
Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with Naan or Steamed rice, and a lemon wedge.
Video
Notes
If you are making Dhansak masala at home, dry roast the whole spices on low to medium heat. Make sure to stir them often so that they get roasted evenly and to avoid the burning of spice.
Once you add cooked dal (lentils) to the curry, stir it at regular intervals. Cooked dal (lentils) sticks to the bottom of the pan if left unattended.
If you do not have a pressure cooker, cook the lentils with enough water in a pan until the lentils start to break down. This will add creaminess to the curry. It is better to soak the lentils in water at least for 2 hours or overnight to reduce the cooking time.
If you have a pressure cooker, you can skip soaking the dal prior to cooking it. Or just soak it for an hour. The lentil combination that I used in this recipe gets cooked quickly.
If you do not have a hand blender, let the cooked dal cool down to room temperature. Transfer them in small batches in a mixer/grinder. Grind to a fine paste (Do not add water).
The curry thickens after some time. Add some water to adjust the consistency of the curry, combine, reheat, and serve.