Ingredients

1. Oil – 4 tbsp
2. Garlic (sliced) – 4 cloves
3. Ginger julienne – 1 tbsp
4. Tomatoes – 4
5. Garlic (for frying cloves) – 3
6. Ginger and garlic paste – 2 tsp
7. Chicken – 600 gms
8. Cumin seeds (roasted and crushed) – 1 tsp
9. Coriander seeds (roasted and crushed) – 1 tsp
10. Black pepper powder – 1 tsp
11. Crushed chilli powder - 1 tsp
12. Green chillies – 4
13. Kasoori methi – 1 tsp
14. Garam masala – 1 tsp
15. Curd – 1/4 cup
16. Water – 1/4 cup
17. Coriander leaves (roughly chopped) – 1/2 cup
18. Water – 1/3 cup

Method

There are two ways to cook the garlic tomato chicken curry.

a. First fry garlic cloves to light colour but not brown and keep it aside. And then add to the chicken gravy.

b. Fry the garlic cloves and chicken together for about 7 to 10 mins until both are mixed with each other and garlic is coated nicely on the chicken. Then remove and keep it aside. Add to the tomato gravy.

I have done both types and both the gravies were tasty. In this recipe I have used the first method.

1. Chop the tomatoes roughly and slice or slit the green chillies.
2. Cut the garlic cloves into thin slices and get the ginger julienned. Click here for information about julienne.
3. Roast cumin and coriander seeds in a pan or tava unil a nice aroma comes. Roast on a medium flame.
4. After it cools down, crush it nicely in a pestle and mortar or a spice mixer. Keep it aside.
5. Take a wide kadai, add oil and when it gets warm, add 3 garlic cloves and fry it until they are light golden in colour. Do not fry them for long (do not brown them). If you cook more they will become bitter. You can see in the picture. They are just fried for few seconds only and then remove and keep them aside in a plate.
6. Add tomatoes in the same kadai with a little oil and fry for a minute.
7. Now add all spices except kasoori methi, and roast well for 2 mins and then add ginger and garlic paste and mix well.
8. Add 1/4 cup of water, mix well and close the lid. Cook until all the tomatoes and spices are cooked well.
9. When the tomatoes are cooked well, it will look well mashed. Stir for a few minutes again. It needs to come to a gravy consistency.
10. Now add the chicken pieces, curd, salt and 1/3 cup of water and cook by closing the lid.
11. When the chicken is cooked and you get to a gravy consistency, add the garlic cloves which were fried earlier. Then add coriander leaves, ginger julienne and green chillies. Cook on a low flame.
12. Mix well, close the lid and leave it for 10 to 15 mins.
13. After sometime when you open the lid, you can see oil on top of the gravy and is cooked well.
14. Roast the chicken for few minutes on a medium flame so that chicken and the gravy is well mixed with each other.
15. Roast only for 5 mins and switch it off. If it is already dry and no gravy is there then no need to roast.
16. You can roast the chicken well until you get to a dry gravy consistency.
17. You can serve the garlic tomato chicken curry with plain rice or chapathi.

Notes

1. If you think that garlic used is more, you can reduce according to your taste.
2. If you don't have crushed chilli powder, just use the regular red chilli powder.
3. When the chicken is cooked with lid closed, it will leave water. So in the end you will have to roast again according to the amount of water left.
4. The garlic tomato chicken curry need not be always dry. You can adjust the consistency of the gravy to your liking.
5. If you are frying the chicken with garlic, you can add ginger julienne also and fry well. Keep it aside and then add to the tomato gravy. Then follow the instructions in the recipe above.
6. The garlic tomato chicken curry has a lot of influence from garlic, tomato, a little bit of ginger and ofcourse the chicken!