Murgh Kasuri Methi (Chicken with Dry Fenugreek Leaves) and Awards!
One of my special friends and her family had come over for lunch on Sunday and I made murgh kasuri methi, a special North-Indian chicken curry (a perfect party dish), for them. The chicken kasuri methi dish had been a big hit with all my “special” guests so far, which is why I thought that this recipe would be the best thing to put up as my latest blog post on this beautiful Monday afternoon!
Now let me tell you that North India and South India are like North and South poles as far as cooking is concerned. In the South, emphasis is more on rice products, such as idlis and dosas. The famous sambar, rasam and uttappams are now being tasted and appreciated globally! South-Indian cuisine generally uses a lot of tamarind, coconut, curry leaves and mustard seeds. North Indians love to experiment with strong masalas or spices. Paneer or cottage cheese and sarson da saag (mustard leaves cooked in a special way) are a delicacy here. In the North, there is a special emphasis on wheat products, such as the rotis, parathas and the naans. The famous lassi, tandoori chicken and samosas are some of the North-Indian dishes.
So what about today’s wonder ingredient? Read on.
Methi or fenugreek leaves are a celebrity in North India (especially in Punjab) and Pakistan. The dry ones (pronounced as kasuri methi/quasoori methi/kasoori methi) are extremely aromatic and add a dash of flavour to any dish (especially poultry and meat). If you have not tried using this ingredient called kasuri methi in your North-Indian cooking, please do. You will thank me later for this suggestion. I highly advocate this relatively unpopular herb to all my Indian food aficionados worldwide. I bet, you will be simply amazed by the twist in the taste! In addition, let me tell you that these are extremely nutritious, having certain medicinal properties too!
Note: This is my own recipe, perfected over many years. Please stick to the measurements mentioned below for best results. Indian cooking is all about measurements, time of introduction of each ingredient into the dish and the cooking temperature! This is a recipe which needs a little patience but would yield a dish you will be in love with, forever!
Dry fenugreek leaves can be bought from Indian stores in your country. You can substitute them with the fresh ones as an alternative, but if doing so, chop these leaves finely and add them a little earlier than the time of introduction suggested in any dish using kasuri methi.
Murgh Kasuri Methi (Chicken with Dry Fenugreek Leaves)
Ingredients:
- Whole chicken legs: 6
- Unsweetened yogurt (for marination): 8 tbsp
- Salt (for marination): 3 tsp
- Salt (for gravy): 1 tsp
- Ghee (preferred) or oil: 4 tbsp
- Bay leaf: 1
- Dry red chilli: 1
- Fresh red or green chillies: 4
- Whole cinnamon sticks (one-inch): 2
- Whole black cardamom: 1
- Whole green cardamoms: 4
- Cloves: 6
- Black peppercorns: 6
- Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
- Nutmeg powder: ¼ tsp
- Mace (dried flower of nutmeg tree): ¼ tsp
- Onion (cut lengthwise, thinly): ½
- Onion paste: ¾ cup
- Garlic paste: 5 tbsp
- Ginger paste: 2 tsp
- Cumin powder: 1 tsp
- Turmeric powder: ¾ tsp
- Dry fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi): 3 tbsp
- Cashewnut paste: 2 tbsp
- Red chilli powder (optional): 1.5 tsp
- Water: 3 cups
Method of preparation:
Marinate the chicken legs atleast for five hours in the refrigerator with just yogurt and 3 tsp salt.
In a heavy-bottomed wok or skillet, add ghee or oil and wait till it smokes. Add the dry red chilli, bay leaf, whole cinnamon sticks, whole black cardamom, green cardamoms, cloves, black peppercorns and cumin seeds into this (the flame should be medium) and wait till the cumin seeds just turn dark brown. Immediately add the finely cut (lengthwise) onions and sauté till they turn brownish.
Add the onion paste, nutmeg powder, mace and turmeric powder and sauté for 2 min. Add the garlic and ginger pastes now. Sauté till the mixture releases oil (takes 7–10 min on a medium flame).
At this point, add the thick cashewnut paste.
Add 3 tbsp water. Give this a stir and cook on a medium flame for 5 min.
Now add the marinated chicken, alongwith the cumin powder and the kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves).
Smear the chicken with this mixture evenly. Cover the lid and cook over a medium flame for 30 min. You will notice that the chicken would acquire a brown tinge. Add the rest of the salt, red chilli powder (optional) and fresh chillies with 3 cups of water and mix again. Simmer the flame to the lowest, put the lid and go to sleep for 1 hour. Slow-cooking will lead to the perfectly succulent chicken legs with all the flavours reaching down to the deepest part of the chicken. Serve with rice, pulau (pulav or pilaf), roti, poori, paratha or naan! Bon Appetit!!
Slow-cooking is highly preferred in this kind of cooking
Beautiful awards for Cosmopolitan Currymania!
Okielicious from A Little Lunch and Wan Maznah from Cooking-Varieties have been kind enough to pass the “Blog on Fire Award” and the “Sunshine Award”, respectively, to me!
“A Little Lunch” is full of interesting recipes and the blog is done quite tastefully. I love visiting there for mouth-watering cooking ideas! Cooking-Varieties, as the name suggests, is another interesting blog with a variety of delectable recipes across the world. Both are great blogs to visit, in their own respects!
Thank you, Okielicious and Wan, for these. These really made my day!
I am now passing them to ten wonderful bloggers. Each one of them have established themselves in the blogosphere with there outstanding cooking and baking skills. Don’t forget to check them out!
- Namiko Chen @ Just One Cookbook
- Manuela Zangara @ Manu’s Menu
- Anne @ From My Sweet Heart
- Indie.Tea @ Darjeeling Dreams
- Saffron Streaks
- Lilly @ Fuzz Free Food
- Erika @ In Erika’s Kitchen
- Emily @ Comfortable Home Life
- Renee @ Sweetsugarbean
- Vianney @ Sweet Life
Ten random facts about me:
- I love to teach painting to my kids! They get a bit messy, but enjoy it very much!
- I am thinking to learn Mandarin. Since I am living in Hong Kong, knowing Mandarin is always a plus!
- I love Indian villages. They have a charm of their own! I dream of sitting under a mango tree and relishing raw mangoes!
- I haven’t tried alcohol yet.
- I am a great believer in hard work, but I believe that luck plays a role in our lives too!
- I love to make new friends in blogosphere. I choose random blogs from random sources and spend some time every day reading those blogs. It is such fun!
- My favourite food is seafood (any cuisine).
- I would rather prefer feeding poor children than throwing up a party!
- I love travelling and exploring the world!
- I am in love with Thai Cuisine. I would love to learn more from you all on this!
Congratulations, dear bloggers!
The criteria to accept these awards are to mention ten things about yourself in your blog post, pass these to ten deserving bloggers (and let them know about these) and of course, mention the person who gave you these awards!
Hope you liked today’s post. I would love to know about your views. Keep in touch and happy blogging!!
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August 1, 2011 @ 8:29 am
Creamy and yummy dish… Do check out my blog when u find time My culinary Trial room
August 1, 2011 @ 8:50 am
Dear Purabi
How are you? Reading the long ingredient list, I knew a great dish is following…very nice indeed. I am going to try it for the family as soon as they are ready for a great dish. ( I am yet to develpo taste for chicken), once I am successful with chicken I will try it with mutton ….
Thanks for sharing this great recipe with nice photos
August 1, 2011 @ 9:25 am
Delicious recipe,luks very tempting…
August 1, 2011 @ 9:28 am
Chicken si such a good vehicle toa absorb all this aroma..it looks fantastic:)
August 1, 2011 @ 10:10 am
wow looks so so temptg…love it…just give me a roti or rice with it…
August 1, 2011 @ 10:32 am
Very nice, Purabi! Being South Indian, I haven’t cooked much with kasuri methi but just discovered its wonderful flavor this year! I’m sure that this would be nice in a vegetarian version with some seitan. Thanks for sharing!
August 1, 2011 @ 10:58 am
ooreee baba… ki daroon,
August 1, 2011 @ 12:20 pm
I love all the spices! And great use of the fenugreek, I bet that made this dish amazing 🙂 Buzzed!
August 1, 2011 @ 12:35 pm
What a GREAT post! I love the recipe and I’ve heard of fenugreek, but never worked with it….everything looks delicious! Congratulations to your award winners!
August 1, 2011 @ 12:41 pm
love how you used cashew nut paste to thicken and add a cream to your curry! and i love reading blogs too on the blogosphere. how long have u been living in hong kong for?
August 1, 2011 @ 2:14 pm
Congrats on the awards!
August 1, 2011 @ 3:38 pm
lovely recipe…the methi is adding a lovely flavor to the chicken
August 1, 2011 @ 4:44 pm
Congrats on the well deserved awards Purabi..I love what you wrote about yourself..
This dish is totally new to me, but I love it! Very flavorful and delicious looking!
August 1, 2011 @ 4:58 pm
delicious looking combination of flavours in this chicken looks wonderful
August 1, 2011 @ 5:08 pm
Ohh this chicken looks so yummy! I had never heard of fenugreek until breastfeeding my kids. LOL. I was taking the breastfeeding herbal tea with fenugreek in it (I wonder if this dish would have helped… I rather want to eat this than herbal tea!). India offers so many spices and herbs and I learn a lot from reading your recipe. Like you said, it’s really fun! It was nice reading your facts. I want to comment each one but it’ll be too long, so just want to say I’m very similar to you. Hey when you learn Mandarin, please teach me. Since my last name is Chinese now I should learn the language. Heehee. Congrats on the awards and thanks for passing them to me!
August 1, 2011 @ 7:49 pm
Your curry sounds and looks delicious! I love Indian food and have experimented some in the kitchen, but I’m glad to find an authentic source! Thanks for the tip on the fenugreek leaves as well–good to know. I have yet to find a great Indian grocery here in Chicago, but being such a big city, I’m sure they’re out there–it’s just a matter of searching.
August 1, 2011 @ 7:50 pm
As always, interesting post and wonderful looking recipe. I would love to be a guest at your house. Come over and visit. We have a wonderful Southern recipe today.
August 1, 2011 @ 8:59 pm
Unusual and delicious chicken…always grateful that you provide the step-by-step directions which makes it so much easier to try a new recipe!
Congratulations on the award!
August 1, 2011 @ 10:52 pm
Flavorful and delicious …curry looks yum
August 2, 2011 @ 12:03 am
Purabi, congratulations on your award winning blog, with good reason! I appreciate how you explain your methods and agree with you that timing and introduction of ingredients is key. Will have to search out fenugreek (probably on-line — haven’t seen anything close to that around here; maybe in the bigger cities!) and was also wondering if I could make my own cashew paste by pulverizing fresh or roasted cashews in a blender? This dish sounds wonderful!
August 2, 2011 @ 1:46 am
Congrats on the award – well deserved! This chicken looks so full of flavor! What a great combination of so many different ingredients!
August 2, 2011 @ 1:48 am
Congrats on your awards!! This chicken looks mouth watering. I want a large helping of this over a nice bed of rice. Mmmm
August 2, 2011 @ 2:36 am
Hi purabi. How have you been. Looks like my timing perfectly coincides with your award giving ceremony. Congrats from me Wan Maznah of Cooking varieties to all the award recipients. You are indeed the lucky ones, if you are being chosen by purabi, the great chef in Indian cuisine
The murgh-kasoori-methi-chicken looks very delicious from the great images and sounds very flavorful by the the way you meticulously explain the culinary art of preparing this dish.. a must try for me, thanks purabi
August 2, 2011 @ 3:20 am
Purabi, delicious chicken yum yum. Congrat on your award.
August 2, 2011 @ 4:23 am
Purabi this dish is over the top. The list of ingredients makes my mouth water and I love how absolutely thorough you are with your instructions. I can’t wait to try this. My sister will be in town later this month and she’ll love this.
I also enjoyed reading about you. I think its great that your going to try and learn Mandarin and I would agree, nothing is more satisfying than feeding or helping those children in need.
My children are grown now, my daughter turned 22 today and I just posted my memories with them and cooking with them over the years on my blog. Time flies. How old are yours?
Thank you for sharing this!
August 2, 2011 @ 7:27 am
What a great recipe Purabi! I have kasuri methi in my pantry, so I am bookmarking this dish and will try it out. I am always looking our for new Indian recipes as we all love Indian food (my husband is Indian) at home. 🙂
Thank you soooo very much for passing on the award to me! I am so honoured! <3 <3 <3
It was great to read more about you, I always find this the best part about awards… so you get to know your fellow bloggers a bit more! I too love Thai cuisine!
August 2, 2011 @ 10:24 am
Purabi, first of all this chicken dish looks fabulous! I can’t wait to try it with some homemade naan.
And of course congratulations on the awards! I am so honoured that you are passing them on to me. My first award ever!! Since I am kinda new at this, maybe you can let me know how things work.
I love that you want to learn Mandarin! It seems very difficult! And if you have some raw mangoes…
please send some my way!
August 2, 2011 @ 11:30 am
This looks so flavourful. I am not sure where I could find fenugreek leaves around here. Maybe the big asain market might carry them!
August 2, 2011 @ 2:07 pm
First of all, thank you for such nice comments! I really appreciate each one of your precious time spent here for reading my blog and appreciating the same! Do leave your footprints again!!
Ushnish kaku, thanks for your motivating comment!
The Mistress of Spices, sure, this will work well with the vegetarian version as well, with some alteration in the amounts of ingredients! Thanks for the comment.
Junia, thanks dear! Oh me in Hong Kong? I came last November end. Almost a little more than 8 months now…how time flies!
Nami, thanks for being such a good bloggy friend! I am so excited to hear that you like reading my blog so much and you are so much interested in knowing about Indian spices/cuisine! Oh yes, fenugreek is definitely recommended for breastfeeding mothers. In India, there are special kinds of balls (called methi ke laddoo)which are a must post-delivery for all these reasons. Fenugreek in more direct forms (as in herbal tea) is much more recommended than the curried ones for health issues. Oh yes, I’ll definitely teach you Mandarin, and you teach me Japanese. Okay?! Thank you and congrats on your awards!
August 2, 2011 @ 2:18 pm
jennaseverythingblog, yes, I’m sure all the Indians in Chicago must be going to an Indian superstore. Please let me know when you have found out one!
Elisabeth, thank you for your kind words!
Alittlelunch.com, yes, this is a simple homemade cashewnut paste used in the recipe, made by grinding a few cashewnuts in the electric grinder. The finer the paste, the better and creamier the curry is!
Wan maznah, thanks for passing the awards to me once again and I am flattered by those words about my blog! Thank you so much and I’d take this motivation as a capsule to serve you with even better content!
Thanks for your appreciation. I am touched by your comment. My kids are quite small…one is almost 4 and the other is almost of 3 years! Shall surely check out your blog.
August 2, 2011 @ 2:25 pm
Thank you, Manu, for your comment. And congrats on the awards part. Yes, the awards make you know more about other bloggers, which is definitely very interesting! Great to know that your husband is Indian (I guessed right!) and you all appreciate Indian food. Do let me know how the dish turned out!
Carolyn, yes, the Asian market probably would have them. Try showing them a picture of fresh fenugreek leaves (if they do not understand English, as is the case here in Hong Kong wet markets!). Thanks for stopping by!
August 2, 2011 @ 2:34 pm
Beautiful and delicious looking dish! This would provide me with much comfort.
August 2, 2011 @ 2:43 pm
Congratulations! Love your blog, very well deserved indeed. This dish is magnificently flavored. Well done and congrats again!
August 2, 2011 @ 2:57 pm
Congrats on ur awards….the chiccken gravy looks very tempting …gotto try this…
August 2, 2011 @ 3:44 pm
I am liking the sound and looks of this curry! I am a big fan of Indian cuisine. But I have not used fenugreek leaves before. Fenugreek seeds, yes.
August 2, 2011 @ 4:16 pm
What an amazing combination of flavors. We use fenugreek in Persian cooking, too, but I’ve only found dried in our Middle-Eastern stores here in the U.S.
August 2, 2011 @ 4:17 pm
Like tigerfish, I can find fenugreek seeds (and I’m afraid they’re wasting away in the pantry) but not leaves. I’ll guess I’ll have to order. Because I do so want to try this. Thanks for inspiring!
August 2, 2011 @ 5:03 pm
wow murg with kasoori methi…I can sniff the aromas of kasoori methi from here…this is my most favoured way of making chciken…and kasoori methi..they have their own magical aroma…
Thanks Purabi for the award…
bhalo theko
sukanya
August 2, 2011 @ 6:51 pm
Congratulations!
The curry looks very appetizing and tempting!
August 3, 2011 @ 12:16 am
Firstly, congratulations on your awards. I can see why you deserved them! And thanks for sharing your very special recipe with us, just by looking at you photos I can tell how delicious this dish is. Just wondering if I can substitute fenugreek leaves with fenugreek seeds, do they have the same effect?
So happy to learn that you’re learning Mandarin. My best friend (she’s Bruneian) lives in the NT in HK too with her family!
August 3, 2011 @ 3:17 am
Thanks a lot for visiting my blog and for your lovely comment.
I liked your blog very much. I have become your 135th follower. Chicken looks delicious, spicy and yummy. I appreciate for your wonderful presentation.
August 3, 2011 @ 3:36 am
Purabi…I was just in a spice store yesterday and saw Fenugreek leaves! Now I wish I had picked some up! This chicken dish looks wonderful! I love spicy food. Congratulations on your well deserved awards. You have an amazing blog here! And I appreciate so much that you have passed them on to me! Thanks you! : )
August 3, 2011 @ 9:55 am
Ciao Purabi
thank you for your visit, now I found your blog and you have some lovely recipes here. I am still learning about Indian cooking so I am very happy to follow you.
Please visit again, I have just posted about coconut, do you like coconut?
ciao
Alessandra
August 3, 2011 @ 4:07 pm
Purabi,
I love the spices you are using here. I wonder how it would taste like if I were to substitute chicken for tempeh or firm tofu. Have you tried it?
Sounds like a good plan learning another language. I took Japanese as a kid. It was fun too bad I didn’t continue. I keep thinking I want to go back to learn it again.
Cheers,
hegs
weirdcombinations
August 3, 2011 @ 7:56 pm
Congrats on the well deserved awards Purabi..I love what you wrote about yourself..the dish looks super yummy…:)
August 3, 2011 @ 9:13 pm
I’ve just found your blog as you left a comment on mine.. 🙂 Love it! I’ve yet to create my first successful curry at home. All those spices are not something we cook with a lot but I love them. I am gonna be coming back here more often for more tips!
August 4, 2011 @ 4:15 am
Congrats on the awards! 🙂
August 4, 2011 @ 4:37 am
Congrats on your awards….Chicken looks tempting and mouthwatering..lovely recipe.
August 4, 2011 @ 5:32 am
Hi Purabi, thanks a bunch for visiting my space and for the lovely thought…kasuri methi chicken is one of my fav….congrats on your well deserved award…
August 4, 2011 @ 7:52 am
Although only a recent follower, I am learning so much from your blog, Purabi. Congrats on the award.
August 4, 2011 @ 11:28 am
Awesome Purabi, that spices inside with chillies, we will die for this, I told you that we have similar taste in food.
August 4, 2011 @ 11:40 am
Delicious recipe,looks very tempting…
August 4, 2011 @ 3:22 pm
Gorgeous! I haven’t done much Indian cooking but this recipe is getting bookmarked for sure!
August 5, 2011 @ 3:05 am
Hester Casey, thanks for those nice words!
Thank you, Nava k. Yes, I think the same when I visit your blog too! We indeed have similar tastes!!
Weirdcombos, yes, tofu, sure will taste good. Better, use Indian cottage cheese or paneer as a substitute, but if doing so, use lesser amounts of spices. Thank you so much for your comment!
Foodiva, I am afraid fenugreek seeds add a different taste and the leaves cannot be interchanged with the seeds! I am sure, you’ll get these in Asian/Indian stores. You can also order them online!!
Thanks, all for your comments. Much appreciated!
August 8, 2011 @ 7:29 am
thank you for a wonderful award!! what ahonor from such a great blogger!!
August 9, 2011 @ 12:59 am
now i am craving for it. I never made chicken with kasoori methi but love he flavor combo you used!
February 3, 2012 @ 10:15 pm
I can see where this would make the perfect party dish–all that wonderful spice flavor!
Poori/Puri/Luchi: Indian Puffed Bread
July 5, 2013 @ 9:32 am
[…] a complete Indian meal, try the pooris with Alu-Phulkopir Torkari (potato-cauliflower curry), Murgh Kasoori Methi, Panchratan Dal (Indian five-lentil stew) and my special Old-Fashioned, Mixed-Fruit […]