My mother in law's chicken haandi recipe: The perfect dish for a casual dinner

My recent trip to Pakistan was directed towards Multan - a city which I had only visited once in the past during my childhood when we lived in Bahawalpur many years ago.

I took this opportunity to roam around the city, to see what it had to offer. I did a lot of shopping too, from sohan halwa and multani chappals to blue pottery and the likes. What joy it was!

As a kid I remember our house always had a continuous supply of Multan’s famous sohan halwa and Kushaab’s dooda. It was regularly served with tea and shami kebabs to the guests visiting us. Somehow, these two items became a symbolic part of my childhood while growing up in Pakistan – which explains why I bought a ton of sohan halwa from Multan.

I also visited the shrines of Bahauddin Zakaria and Shah Rukhn-e-Alam, and I was in awe of the architectural marvels these shrines represented, despite their age. The city in itself was a pleasant surprise to me.

I also ended up having the best ever Karahi at Ramada Multan. I am still in the process of reverse engineering it and I will share the recipe too, if I succeed. I look forward to going back to Multan and eating more sohan halwa in the near future.



So here goes the recipe,

(I have not used a clay haandi- traditional Pakistani clay pot for cooking this recipe simply because of the difficulty in photographing the food inside a haandi.)

Salt – ½ tsp (adjust to taste)

Chili powder – ½ tsp (adjust to taste, while keeping in mind the use of green chilies in the recipe)

Cumin – 1 tsp (crushed)

Dried whole coriander – 1 tsp (crushed)

Water – ½ cup

Lemon juice – ½ lemon (large)

White vinegar – 1 tbsp

Green chilies – 1


Fresh coriander for garnish.

Method

1. Heat the oil in a pan and add the onion paste.



2. Keep it on high heat and let the colour change to pink. It will take around five to seven minutes.



3. Now on medium heat, add half the quantity of ginger and garlic. Also add cumin and coriander. Cook for another one to two minutes.



4. Add the boneless chicken, half of the green chili, salt, red chili powder, remaining ginger and garlic and then mix it all together. Cook it till the chicken changes colour. Lower the heat.



5. Now add half a cup of water and let the chicken simmer for another one to two minutes.



6. Add the vinegar and lemon juice. Mix and cook till the water reduces to half, the oil has separated on the side and the smell of vinegar has disappeared from the food. This will take about five to seven minutes. Keep it on low heat.



7. Garnish it with fresh coriander leaves and green chilies. Pair it with tandoori roti and mint chutney.



This is the perfect dish for a casual dinner ceremony.



I hope you enjoy this scrumptious haandi as much as I did. In fact, call your friends and family too, it will definitely be a treat they will all remember!

PHOTOS: AMBREEN MALIK

This post originally appeared here.