Lime & Capsicum Chicken

For a while now I have been dishing out tried and tested recipes, mostly. I had hung up my experimenter's coat. And I chose to have it back on a couple of days ago when my cousins called to say they were coming over for dinner. They also emphatically asserted that they wanted to have something different, something I would trump up exclusively for them. It is a risky affair, treating your guests as guinea pigs. If the experiment goes horribly wrong, which is a possibility one cannot rule out, the consequent disaster shall cost you your reputation. In my case, considering that it was my cousins and not more civilized acquaintances, who were coming for dinner, it was more than my reputation that was at stake. One mistake could turn into a dinner table joke for the rest of my life.

But the combination of ingredients that I had in mind was a potential winner. My mother assured me, should anything go wrong we could order in. I thought it was a good idea, the only concern was, would I fake a stomach ache or a migraine attack. I decided on migraine. Anyway, so I had some boneless chicken in the freezer, some fresh capsicum brought from the bazaar that very morning and juicy limes plucked from the lime trees on the terrace that afternoon. In my mind I could already imagine the dish coming up that evening. How wrong can one go with lime and capsicum.  I kept adding ingredients on the go, guided by the aroma of the food in the making. And this turned out to be an experiment I am super proud of. My cousins licked off the last vestiges of juices from the chicken and made me promise to cook the dish again, the next time they drop in. I am calling the dish Lime and Capsicum Chicken, Desi style.

Check out the recipe

Ingredients

Boneless Chicken - 1 kg
Onions, thinly sliced - 3 (large)
Garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Ginger paste - 1 tbsp
Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cinnamon powder - 1/2 tsp
Chopped green chilies - 4 tbsp
Black pepper - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Capsicum - 2 large (minced into a runny paste)
Lemon juice - 3-4 tbsp
Vegetable oil (as required)

o

Method 

Heat oil in a pan. Add the fenugreek seeds. Once the seeds turn brown, splutter and exude its aroma, Add the onions. A couple of minutes later add the chopped green chilies.

Fry the onions with a pinch of salt until soft and a light golden.

Add the ginger and garlic paste and fry for several minutes. Finally add the chicken, more salt, black pepper and fry for several more minutes.

Add the cinnamon powder fry for a couple of minutes and pour in the minced capsicum.

Fry for a couple of minutes, cover ad cook until chicken is tender and most of the juices have dried up, and oil begins to separate.

Drizzle the lime juice and toss well. Remove from heat and serve hot with steamed rice or rotis.