Friday 25 July 2014

Chicken and Potato Shorba

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Today I'll be sharing with you my mum's recipe for her Chicken and Potato Shorba




A shorba is a Pakistani curry which has a lot of gravy. The thickness of the gravy depends on your own personal preference. It's usually best made with either lamb or chicken, and served with roti or boiled rice. This shorba is perfect for hot summer days when you don't feel like eating much. 
Shorba, previously - I've never posted a recipe for it before, much to my mothers dismay!

A Simple List of Ingredients:

1. Sunflower Oil
2. Onions
3. Ginger
4. Garlic
5. Tinned Tomatoes
6. Salt
7. Red Chilli Powder
8. Ground Cumin
9. Ground Coriander
10. Ground Turmeric
11. Cumin Seeds
12. Cinnamon Stick
13. Black Peppercorns
14. Green Cardamoms
15. Cloves
16. Whole Chicken Pieces
17. Water
18. Potatoes
19. Fresh Coriander
20. Garam Masala

Bismillah, let's begin!

Into a large, deep pot heat up 1/2 cup of Vegetable Oil. Slice in 1 medium Onion.

Give them a good stir.

Fry on a medium heat, stir frying until they begin to turn golden brown.

Pour in 1/2 tin (200 grams) of Tomatoes, blended. Also add in 6 Garlic Cloves, peeled and crushed. And a 2 inch piece of Ginger, peeled and crushed. Stir well for a few minutes.

Next, add in 1 teaspoon of Salt.

Along with:
1 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
2 teaspoons Ground Coriander
1 and 1/2 teaspoons Ground Cumin
1/4 teaspoon Ground Turmeric

Give it a good stir to wake all the spices up.

Next, the whole spices. Add in 2 teaspoons of Cumin Seeds.

Along with:
4 Green Cardamoms
1 large Cinnamon Stick
5 Cloves
6 Black Peppercorns

Stir them in.

On a medium to low heat, keep stirring the sauce ..

.. until the oil begins to rise.

Then, add in 1 Whole Chicken, cut into pieces.

Stir fry until the chicken is sealed all over and it has lost its pink colour.

Take 1/2 cup of Water. Gradually add it to the pan.

After each little addition, stir fry and dry the water out.

Continue doing this until all the 1/2 cup of water is finished.
Then, cover the chicken and simmer on a low heat for 20 minutes.

After the 20 minutes, uncover.

Dry out any excess water by stir frying on a medium heat.

Then, pour in 4 cups of Water or as much as you want. Some like the shorba thicker and others prefer it thinner. This one that we made with 4 cups is on the thin side.

Scrape down the sides too with your spoon - this is where all the flavour is.

Stir the water in and bring to the boil. Once boiling, simmer and cover on a low heat whilst you chop your potatoes.

Peel and slice 4 medium Potatoes into chunks.

Uncover the pan.

And, add in the potatoes.

Bring to the boil once more, and then cover and simmer on low until the potatoes are fully cooked. Ours took about 15 minutes. You could also add in a handful of Frozen Peas too!

Once the potatoes are done ..

.. add in a handful of chopped Fresh Coriander ..

.. and 1/2 teaspoon of Garam Masala.

Heat through for a few minutes.

And, then serve!

This shorba would be perfect with roti or naan ..

.. but we ate it with boiled rice.

Full Written Recipe:


Chicken and Potato Shorba

Ingredients – serves approx 8 people
1 medium Onion, peeled and thinly sliced
½ cup Vegetable Oil
½ tin (200 grams) Tomatoes, blended
6 Garlic Cloves, peeled and crushed
2 inch piece Ginger, peeled and crushed
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
2 teaspoons Ground Coriander
1 and ½ teaspoons Ground Cumin
¼ teaspoon Ground Turmeric
2 teaspoons Cumin Seeds
4 Green Cardamoms
1 large Cinnamon Stick (or 2 small)
5 Cloves
6 Black Peppercorns
1 Whole Chicken, cut into pieces
Water, as needed
4 medium Potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
Handful of Fresh Coriander, chopped
½ teaspoon Garam Masala

Method

Heat the vegetable oil in a large, deep pan. Once hot, add in the onion and fry until golden brown.

Pour in the blended tomatoes, crushed ginger and crushed garlic. Stir well for a few minutes.
Add the salt, red chilli powder, ground cumin, ground coriander and ground turmeric. Stir well.

Then, add the cumin seeds, peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon stick and green cardamoms. Stir well until the oil begins to rise.

Add in the chicken pieces. Fry until sealed. Then gradually add ½ cup of water. Add little splashes at a time, and dry out after each addition.

Cover for 20 minutes on a low heat.
Uncover and pour in 4 cups of water or as much as you want. Some prefer the shorba thinner and some like it thicker – it’s up to you!

Bring to the boil, and cover on a low heat whilst you chop your potatoes. Then, add the potatoes and cover again for 15 minutes on a low heat until they are cooked.

Finally, add the chopped coriander and garam masala. Heat through for a minute or two, and then serve with boiled rice!

This Time Last Year:


Keep me in your duas, please,

Wasalaam!


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