Dum Murgh/ Dum Chicken

 If you are looking for an example for Royalty on a plate, then this Dum Murgh/Confit Chicken wins hands down.  Healthy, light, earthy and succulent. This dish really exemplifies how slow cooking with the simplest and freshest ingredients is so fulfilling and delicious.  Pay attention to textures here and it'll be perfect. You want juicy and tender chicken with soft yet still firm meat. You want the morels to be like well-seared meat: moist on the inside and crispy on the outside.  Keep your focus on the time mentioned in the recipe & on getting these combination of textures, taste as you go and don't let anything go past done into the land of soft of mushy. If you put care and attention into this dish and focus on flavor and texture, you'll be thrilled with the delicious result!

 Warm slow cooked meat has one of the most delectable texture/taste combinations known to man. It melts in your mouth without compromising on meatiness and has a rich & perfect flavor that highly enjoys the company of breads, rice and a green salad.

This Dum Chicken is good hot or cold but is best left simply seasoned so that it's flavor can speak for itself. Pairing it with the aforementioned stuff helps in balancing and enhancing it's charm simultaneously. So, without further ado, let's start with the marinating process and slow cook the poultry until tender.

INGREDIENTS:
 

1½ tbsp Salt

2 cups sliced onions
½ cup Oil
1 tbsp garlic paste
1 tbsp ginger
1½ tbsp green chilli paste
1 tbsp ground sesame seeds (tahini)
1½ tbsp ground cashews
1tsp turmeric
2 tbsp garam masala (a powder of 1 cinnamon stick, 2 tsp cardomoms, 3 star anise, 2 tsp fennel seeds, 1.5 tsp cloves, 2 tsp mace stored in a dry container)

2 ½ cups yoghurt

1 kg whole chicken skinned and cut on the bone into small pieces

1 tbsp lemon juice
½ cup chopped mint


HOW TO MAKE:
   

1) In a mixing bowl, add 1 teaspoon of the salt to onions and mix.

2)  Heat oil in shallow frying pan. Add onions to caramelise and set aside.

 

To make marinade:

1) In a clean mixing bowl, add garlic, ginger and green chilli pastes.

2) Then add sesame seeds, cashews, turmeric, garam masala, remaining salt and yoghurt.

3)  Add the chicken to the marinade and rub marinade onto the meat. Set aside for about 15 minutes.

4) Place marinated chicken in a large saucepan, making sure that the meat only takes up ⅓ of the saucepan space [this allows the steam in the remaining ⅔ of the pan to cook the chicken].

5) Place a frying pan on medium heat. Let pan heat, then place the saucepan with the chicken into frying pan. Cover saucepan with a heatproof mixing bowl.

6) Reduce heat and add ½ ladle of water to mixing bowl .

7)  Cook chicken until all the water in bowl has evaporated (about 50 mins to 1 hour and 10 mins).

8) Remove lid and sprinkle with lemon and mint.

9) Serve hot.