Preparation time : 30 minutes
Cooking time : 35 minutes
Serves : 5 members
Description:
A family holiday to Sri Lanka for two weeks which was inter linked with hubby dears business. Having cousins live Abroad is such a blessing. Here in Sri Lanka, hubby dears first cousin sister lived in Colombo. So when hubby dear was busy with his business meetings we would keep our selves busy with his cousin sisters company. Nearly every meal we dined out and as always I would explore food to its best level. One night we all got to dine at the Graze kitchen in Hilton , Colombo. A multifaceted restaurant showcasing a live and interactive theater of dining experiences that evoke’s the senses. Live stations which feature Sri Lankan, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Italian, Mediterranean and Thai specialities. I got to taste a chicken thick gravy made with lentils. I was blown away with the idea of mixing lentils in a chicken gravy. I checked the menu card to see the dishes name which said ” CHICKEN DHANSAK ”
Below with a short note describing the dish saying …
Chicken Dhansak is a popular Indian dish, originating among the Parsi Zoroastrian community. It combines elements of Persian and Gujarathi cuisine. Dhansak is made by cooking meat with a mixture of lentils and vegetables.
I was surprised to know that the dish was originated from India. Later on a trip to Mumbai , I ordered the same dish which tasted exactly like the one I had at graze kitchen in Colombo. Those days of no internet and access to recipes with a touch in your mobiles to laptops this dish just stayed ideal in my memory. Recently fed up with the regular chicken gravies made at home , the mighty dhansak popped up in my mind. Googled for a good recipe. Took bits and pieces of two to three recipes that I though would work pitch perfect at my home kitchen and gave it a try. The results were just mind blowing as the masala powder that I used was freshly made which added more aroma to the chicken dhansak than what I had twice before. My weird Dhansak journey from Colombo to Mumbai to making it at Tirunelveli was worth the travel I guess.
Ingredients
Ingredients | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Toovar dal + urad dal + moong dal + red lentil masoor dal | 1/4 cup each |
| Water | 1 litter |
| Chicken | 1/2 kg |
| Pepper corns | 10 |
| Cloves | 8 |
| Cinnamon | 1 inch piece one |
| Nutmeg powder | 1/4 teaspoon |
| Mace | 1 inch piece one |
| Bay leaf | 2 |
| Star anise | 1 |
| Dry red chillies | 3 |
| Cumin seed | 1 tablespoon |
| Dry Coriander seeds | 1 tablespoon |
| Fenugreek seeds | 1/4 teaspoon |
| White sesame seeds | 1 teaspoon |
| Turmeric powder | 1 teaspoon |
| Coriander leaves | 150 grams |
| Fresh fenugreek leaves | 150 grams |
| Mint leaves | 75 grams |
| Tamarind pulp | 1 tablespoon |
| Ginger and garlic paste | each 1 tablespoon |
| Oil | 4 tablespoons |
| Salt | to taste |
Method:
- Pressure cook all the lentils ( dals ) together adding water to done. Mash the cooked dal to get a soup consistency dal.
- Dry roast pepper corns, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, bay leaf, mace, star anise, dry red chillies, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, fenugreek and white sesame seeds separately until a nice aroma arises. Make sure not to burn the spices. Powder together and then add nut meg powder and turmeric powder and mix well.
- Heat oil and add the fresh fenugreek leaves, mint leaves and coriander leaves. Sauté until cooked well adding salt to taste. Cool completely and grind to a paste.
- Pressure cook the chicken with ginger and garlic paste , one cup water and salt to taste for one whistle.
- Mix the mashed dal, ground greens, powdered spice powder and cooked chicken together. Bring to boil in low heat making sure the bottom does not burn. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- serve hot with rice and rotis.
Notes
- You can substitute chicken with mutton and do the same.
- Vegetarian’s can add a mix of potatoes, bottle gourd, brinjal and pumpkins instead of chicken and do the same.
