Try this traditional Bihari Chicken Curry where chicken pieces are cooked with whole garlic knobs, tomatoes, spice powders, and a few more simple ingredients. Serve it with phulka or rice. Here is how to make it.
Mix chicken, chili powder, turmeric powder, salt, and lime juice in a large mixing bowl.
Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Fry The Chicken
Heat mustard oil in a large pan over high heat.
Once the oil is hot, add the marinated chicken to the pan and arrange the pieces in a single layer. Fry for 4-5 minutes on each side. If your pan is not very large, then fry the chicken in batches.
Remove the fried chicken to a plate and set it aside.
Make The Curry
Add onions and salt to the same pan and saute until onions turn golden brown in color (10-12 minutes). Stir frequently.
There will be some liquid released by the chicken in the pan but that is normal.
Add ginger-garlic paste and saute for another minute.
Now add pureed tomatoes and cook for 3-4 minutes.
Add coriander powder, Kashmiri red chili powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, and cumin powder, and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add1cup water and garlic knobs and cook until oil starts to separate on the sides of the pan (3-4 minutes).
Now add yogurt and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Add the remaining 2 cups of water and bring the curry to a boil.
Cook for 3-4 minutes.
Add the fried chicken pieces back to the pan and mix well.
Reduce the heat to low.
Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 35-40 minutes until the chicken is cooked and tender and the masala is cooked well too. Stir a few times in between cooking.
Try to use bone-in chicken pieces, as the bones release their juices and add a beautiful flavor to the curry. But if you are not a bone-in chicken person, use boneless chicken cut into 1-inch cubes.I like to use canned tomato puree as it is more concentrated in flavor, but feel free to use pureed fresh tomatoes.