Jasha Maroo: Bhutanese Minced Chicken

I am hooked to Bhutanese food these days. I make a bowl of Ema Datshi or Kewa Datshi, every second day and I have been rummaging through recipes of Bhutanese delicacies. Fortunately, I have friends who are from Bhutan and those who have connections with the beautiful mountain kingdom. And they are always ready to help.

Now I have restrictions on the kind of meat I can cook at home. I stay with my parents still, and I only find it fair to respect their rules and reservations. I have been craving to cook all that pork-y deliciousness and savour it all, especially a dish called Phaksha Paa - succulent pieces of pork cooked with fiery red chilies, mostly with radish and bok choy. Cured dried pork is also added to the dish to give it
a unique flavour. And I read about a version of the dish which adds to it  hentoe, buckwheat dumplings, quite like momo, and usually with a filling made of wilted greens or cheese like datshi. Slurp!

But I have to do with for a chicken dish. And I found just the one that would make me happy. The thing about Bhutanese cuisine is... it is high on heat. And I love heat. Jasha Maroo is nothing but  minced chicken (diced actually) cooked with onions, ginger, garlic, tomato and loads of green and/or red chilies. You must be wondering what's special about it since the ingredients seem just like what we use in our cooking. Now I believe how and when you use an ingredient is critical to how the dish will taste. I think that works here. And yes the fact that you use only fresh ingredients and absolutely no spices gives this dish a refreshing flavour. By far it's the simplest recipe I have made. I think. And it's on my favourites list.

One of m Bhutanese friends, T, shared the basic outline for the recipe and then I checked a few recipe books and websites. And made my version. Give it a try. Traditionally it is had with Bhutanese Red rice, which has that nutty texture and the closest I could get to it was good old brown rice.

Ingredients
Boneless chicken (diced into 1 inch cubes) - 500 g
Chopped onions - 1 large
Finely chopped garlic - 2 tbsp
Grated ginger - 1 tbsp
Chopped tomatoes - 2 small
Chopped green chilies - 4 tbsp
Salt to taste
Vegetable oil - 2 tbsp
Chicken stock - 1 cup

Method 
Heat oil in a pan. Add the chopped onions and saute until soft and translucent. Add the chicken and fry for about 5 minutes.

Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil.

Now add the chopped garlic, grated ginger, tomatoes and chilies. Season well.

Cook until chicken is tender and the liquids have reduced, tough a little liquid should be left.

Remove from heat and serve with red/brown rice. You may add some some chopped cilantro on top, but I prefer the dish without it.

So Turn Up The Heat