British Indian Restaurant-style chicken jalfrezi recipe with step-by-step photos and a recipe video. This recipe post will guide you on how to prepare chicken jalfrezi curry at home by revealing the restaurant's technique from creating the aromatic base gravy to attaining the ideal caramelized depth for robust, real Indian flavors.
Prep Time5 minutesmins
Cook Time10 minutesmins
Total Time15 minutesmins
Course: Main
Cuisine: Indian, UK
Servings: 4people
Calories: 270kcal
Author: Preeti
Equipment
1 Aluminum pan or Cast Iron kadai or pan
Ingredients
1Onion
½Red bell pepper
1tablespoonginger-garlic paste
1tablespoonmixed powder/curry powderrecipe in description box
1teaspoonKasuri methi
1teaspoonKashmiri red chili powder
½teaspoonGaram masala powder
3tablespoontomato puree
2tablespoonchopped coriander stalks & leaves
300gramscooked chicken
1tomato
2green chiliesadd as per taste
1cupof base gravyrecipe in the notes.
Instructions
Preparations
Cook the chicken (details in recipe notes).
Chop the onions, bell peppers and tomatoes.
Keep all the spice powders handy near the cooktop.
Heat the base gravy and simmer in a pan next to your cooking vessel. Recipe of base gravy in the post.
Making chicken jalfrezi recipe
Heat 3 tablespoon of oil over medium high heat in a Kadai or pan.
When the oil is hot, add onions and bell peppers. Stir fry until some char marks start to appear on them.
Next add the ginger-garlic paste. Cook, stirring continuously, until raw smell from ginger-garlic leaves or the spluttering of ginger-garlic paste reduces.
Lower the heat; add mixed powder/curry powder, kasuri methi, kashmiri red chili powder, and garam masala powder. Stir for 30 seconds.
Add ¼ cup of the hot base gravy. This is to prevent the spices from sticking to the base of the pan or kadai. Cook stirring continuously until oil separates around the edges, will take another 30 seconds.
Next add tomato puree, coriander stalks and ⅓ cup (75 ml) of base gravy. Cook for a minute or until oil starts to separate from sides. You can see bubbles forming on the edges of the Kadai. Scrape the edges and stir to prevent masala sticking to the Kadai.
Add ⅔ cup (150 ml) of base gravy, cooked chicken and combine and cook stirring continuously until oil starts to separate. Let it cook undisturbed for a minute. Stir only if required. Oil will start to separate from masala. Stir it once.
Add tomatoes and green chilies, taste and adjust salt. You can add more base gravy for thinner consistency. I added ⅓ cup (75 ml) of gravy base to adjust the consistency of the gravy. Cook until the oil separates again.
Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve with a lemon wedge.
Video
Notes
Heat the curry base sauce before you start cooking. If you're using my recipe, thin it down with the same quantity of water (think milk consistency), heat it, and then use it.
Keep stirring your curry as you cook, and don't forget to scrape the edges of the pan. This prevents the spices from sticking and burning.
When adding the spice powders, lower the heat first. This helps prevent them from getting burnt.
Add the base gravy or curry base as required. If it's too thin, just cook it a bit longer to thick it up.
Every time you add the base sauce or gravy, cook it until you see oil separating from the curry around the edges. This step takes about 1-2 minutes and gives your dish that restaurant-style flavor boost.
For the best BIR (British Indian Restaurant) experience, ditch the non-stick and cook in either a cast iron Kadai or an aluminum pan. These materials help give your curry that authentic taste.
You can adjust the spice level and gravy thickness to your preference.
Ingredients - 600 g boneless skinless chicken, ¼ cup full-fat yogurt, 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste, 2 teaspoon lime juice, 2 teaspoon oil (any cooking oil with neutral flavor), salt to taste, 2 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder (add as per taste, substitute paprika), 1.5 teaspoon ground cumin and 1 tsp tandoori chicken masala (substitute garam masala)
Method - Marinate the chicken with the ingredients mentioned above. Cover and keep it aside for 30 minutes. Heat a grill pan on medium heat. When the pan is hot enough, place the marinated chicken over it. Do not overcrowd the pan. Let the chicken cook for a minute. Brush it with melted butter or oil. Let it cook for 3-4 minutes or until char marks appear. Flip and cook on the other side for 4-5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and reaches the internal temperature of 165°F (74°C). Remove and keep it aside.