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close-up of chicken dhansak served in a white bowl with a lemon wedge over it.
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5 from 1 vote

Chicken Dhansak Recipe

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 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Main
Cuisine: Indian, Parsi Cuisine
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 580kcal
Author: Preeti Nayak

Equipment

  • 1 Heavy bottom pan or skillet
  • 1 Deep bottom pot

Ingredients

For Dhansak Dal

  • ¼ cup moong dal split green gram
  • ¼ cup toor dal yellow split pigeon peas
  • ¼ cup masoor dal red lentils
  • ½ cup onions
  • ¾ cup Pumpkin
  • ½ cup Brinjal Aubergine
  • 1 cup tomatoes
  • ½ cup coriander leaves
  • ½ cup fenugreek leaves
  • ¼ cup mint leaves
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • salt to taste

For Dhansak Masala

  • 1.5 tablespoon coriander seeds
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
  • ½ star anise
  • 4 green cardamoms
  • 6 cloves
  • 1- inch cinnamon
  • 1 bay leaf
  • a small piece of nutmeg

For Chicken Dhansak Curry

  • 1 cup onions finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste.
  • 2 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder add as per taste
  • 1 teaspoon spicy red chili powder add as per taste
  • 3 teaspoon prepared dhansak masala if using store bought add 2 teaspoon masala
  • 600 g boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into cubes
  • salt to taste
  • 1 tablespoon tamarind 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

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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).
  6. The curry thickens after some time. Add some water to adjust the consistency of the curry, combine, reheat, and serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 580kcal