According to Epicurean folklore, this dish originated in the Mughal emperor Akbar’s royal kitchen. ‘Do pyaza’ is a Persian word that describes the traditional method of adding onions twice to the preparation, as rings or diced into big chunks, as well as in the gravy. It is particularly popular in the city of Hyderabad.
PREPARATION TIME: 10 minutes, Marination Time: 1 hour
COOKING TIME: 35 minutes
SERVES: 6
TASTES: hot
INGREDIENTS
1 kg chicken on the bone (a mix of drumsticks, thighs, and breast pieces)
1 lemon
¼ tsp salt
1 cup yoghurt, plain
½ tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
1 tsp cumin powder
11/2 tsp coriander powder
For the First Tempering:
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp oil
2 onions, large
2 tsp ginger paste
2 tsp garlic paste
4 green chillies
3 tomatoes
1 cup warm water
For the Second Tempering:
3 onions, medium
2 tomatoes
1 tbsp oil
2 black cardamoms
4 green cardamoms
1 tbsp ginger, garlic paste
½ tsp salt or according to taste
½ cup fresh coriander leaves
METHOD
Clean and wash the chicken pieces, then pat them dry with a kitchen paper towel. Place the chicken in a large bowl, squeeze lemon juice over it, sprinkle with salt, and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the yogurt with red chili powder, garam masala, cumin, and coriander powders until well combined. Cover and set aside.
For the First Tempering:
Melt butter and oil in a heavy base saucepan over medium flame. Add the chopped onions and sauté for 4–5 minutes until they turn dark brown. Add the ginger and garlic pastes, stir for a minute, then add the chopped green chilies and sauté for 2–3 minutes.
Reduce the flame and add the yoghurt mixture, stirring continuously until the oil separates. Add the chopped tomatoes and sauté for 2–3 minutes, or until they are soft and the oil surfaces.
Add the chicken to the onion mixture, mix, and stir over medium to high flame for 3–4 minutes until the moisture released from the chicken evaporates. Pour in warm water and mix well. Cover the pan and let it simmer over medium flame, stirring occasionally (add more water if it starts to stick to the bottom of the pan).
For the Second Tempering:
While the chicken is cooking, peel, wash, and dice the onions into large chunks, separating the layers. Wash and cut the tomatoes into large chunks and set aside separately.
Heat oil in a heavy-based frying pan over medium flame. Add the black cardamoms and green cardamoms and stir for a few seconds.
Add the onion layers and sauté for a minute, stirring continuously. Then add the ginger and garlic paste, and sauté for 2–3 minutes.
Transfer this mixture to the chicken and mix well.
Add the tomato chunks and salt to the chicken (add warm water, if needed, for your preferred gravy consistency) and mix well. Cover and cook for a few more minutes, until the chicken is tender and the oil rises to the surface.
Transfer the chicken to a serving bowl and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
Serve hot with rumali roti or butter naan.
RUBY’S TIP
For boneless chicken, cut into 1½-inch pieces, wash and pat them dry, then marinate as directed.
You can also use onion rings instead of diced onions. To make onion rings, slice the onions across the grain of their natural layers (not vertically) and gently separate them.