Chicken in Cashew, Mustard and White Poppy Seed Sauce

Kaju Shorshe Posto Murgi

This dish was inspired by a Facebook post for Shrimp cooked in cashew and white poppy seed sauce. After a number of adaptations, this is what I arrived at. It was made with chicken instead of shrimp with the addition of lime juice and mustard paste which completely changed the flavour and aroma of the original recipe.

Ingredients

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, each cut in 6-8 pieces

salt to taste

juice of 1 lime, divided

6 Tbsp. vegetable oil, preferably mustard oil

1/2 tsp. jeera/shah jeera/cumin seeds

2 cinnamon sticks

3-4 mace/javitri (dried outer covering of nutmeg)

2 large onions, sliced thin

6 cloves garlic, minced

green chilies, chopped to taste

1/2 cup cashews, blended to a paste with water and strained

1/2 cup white poppy seed paste

1/4 cup black mustard paste

salt to taste

cilantro for garnish

Directions

1. Marinate chicken in salt and half the lime juice for 10 minutes.
2. Soak mustard and poppy seeds in 1/2 a cup of water for 20-30 minutes and blend to a paste along with the soaking water, 2 green chilies and remaining lime juice.
3. Heat oil and sputter cumin seeds, add cinnamon sticks and mace and fry until mace darkens a little.
4. Add onions and garlic and stir-fry for a few seconds.
5. Add marinated chicken, cover and fry for 5 minutes.
6. Turn chicken pieces over and fry for another 5 minutes.
7. Add remaining green chilies along with strained mustard-poppy seed paste, stir well and cover.
8. Simmer over medium-low heat for 10 minutes.
9. Adjust salt to taste, add cashew paste and stir.
10. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
11. Garnish with cilantro and serve with rice or chapatis.