Ginger Chicken - Hyderabadi Style

Ever tried Ginger chicken at a Hyderabadi restaurant? It's luscious red color and thick gravy made from onion and ginger paste it has become a popular dish among chicken lovers. I learnt this mouth-watering recipe from my mother.

Ingredients

Chicken with bones - 1 lb
Ginger paste - 2 tbsp
Garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Onion - 1 (large)
Green chillies - 3
Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tsp
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Orange food color
Ajinomoto
Sugar - 2 tsp
Soya sauce - 1 tsp
Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric
Salt
Oil

Preparation

1. Cut chicken into medium sized pieces. Wash and drain excess water. Mix chicken with chilli powder, salt, turmeric, 1 tsp of ginger-garlic paste and marinate for 1/2 hour.

2. Heat a sauce-pan, add chicken pieces and cook until water evaporates and chicken is 3/4 cooked.

3. In another pan add 1 tbsp oil. Chop onion into large pieces and fry lightly for about 3 min. Let this cool and grind to a paste.

4. Chop green chillies. Take a saute-pan, add oil and heat. Add ground onion paste, green chillies, 2 tbsp ginger paste, 1 tbsp garlic paste, salt as needed and fry on low heat for 8 min or until the raw smell of ginger and garlic goes away. Note that the quantity of ginger paste is twice that of garlic paste.

5. Add boiled chicken pieces, put the lid on and fry in low-medium heat for 10-15 min.

6. In a bowl add 1/2 cup water, 1/2 tsp pepper powder, 1/4 tsp ajinomoto, 1 tsp soya sauce, 2 tsp sugar and a pinch of orange food color and mix. Add this mixture to the chicken and fry for 5 min.

Garnish with coriander and serve! Note that there is no garam masala used in the recipe.