Andhra Chicken Pickle recipe

Ingredients:

Chicken with bones : 1 kg ( cut into bite sized pieces )

Ginger - garlic paste : 1 1/2 tsp

Red chilli powder : 1 1/2 tsp

Turmeric powder : 1/2 tsp

Juice of 3 lemons, heat it for 3 minutes and allow it to cool

Salt : as required

Oil : 4 tsp

Dry roast and make a powder:

Coriander seeds/dhaniyalu : 3 tsp

Cumin seeds/jeera : 1 tsp

Poppy seeds/khus-khus/ghasagasalu : 1 tsp

Methi seeds/methulu/fenugreek seeds : 1 1/2 tsp

Cloves : 6 no's

Cinnamon stick : 2"

Elaichi/cardamom : 1 no's

Star anise : 1 no's

For tempering/poppu/tadka/Seasoning:

Pinch of methi seeds

Fresh curry leaves : few

3-4 dry red chillis

15 cloves garlic, slightly crushed

3/4 cup oil

Method : 

Dry roast all the spices individually over low heat and cool. Once cool, combine all the dry roasted ingredients and grind to a fine pwd.

Heat 4 tbsps oil in a heavy bottomed vessel, add chicken, ginger garlic paste, red chilli pwd and salt and cook on high heat for 5 mts. Reduce heat to medium high and continue to cook till the oil separates and there is hardly any water content. This frying will take about 25 mts. This step is crucial to chicken pickle making. Keep stirring in between.

Heat 3/4 cup oil in another heavy bottomed vessel, add methi seeds, curry leaves, dry red chillis, crushed garlic and saute for a minute. Add the cooked chicken pieces along with any left over gravy and oil. Combine well. Add the ground spice pwd and combine well and cook on medium to high for 15-18 mts, stirring in between.

Add the cooled lemon juice and combine well and turn off heat. Cool and store in an airtight bottle and refrigerate.

Note:

Prepare this pickle when you have some time on hand and refrigerate it for a longer shelf life. The recipe I follow calls for heating of lemon juice so do not skip this step. Dry roast the spices well over low heat. Cloves, cinnamon, star anise and cardamom can be roasted together.