Black Pepper Chicken..."It is, What It Is"

I wish I could weave stories around my food...especially my Black Pepper Chicken...long stories…stories that would make you remember people, places and things...sighhh!!...but the truth is I am a very “it is, what is it is” kind of a person…so, while I often try to do a little write up, I end sitting in my front of my computer, staring at it and cursing when I can’t come up with one or can’t put what is in my pretty little head on paper…maybe I should take up creative writing classes along with photography lessons...or maybe I should cook some more and not worry about stories and light…after all isn't it “it is , what it is” ??

Black Pepper Chicken

Ingredients:

• Chicken, small cuts, 350 gms
• Oil, 1 tbsp
• Mustard seeds, ½ tsp
• Onions, finely chopped, 2
• Curry leaves, 10-12
• Tomato, finely chopped, 2
• Ginger, grated/paste, ½ tsp
• Garlic, finely chopped, 7-8 cloves

For the marinade:

• Black Pepper Powder, 1 tbsp
• White Wine Vinegar, 2 tbsp
• Salt, to taste

For the Pepper Spice powder:

• Green Cardamom,1
• Cloves, 2
• Cinnamon, 1/2 inch
• Black Peppercorns, 1 tsp

Instructions:

Marinate the chicken pieces with black pepper powder, vinegar and salt for a couple of hours .

Dry roast (separately) all the ingredients mentioned under ‘Pepper Spice powder’. Cool, mix and grind coarsely. Keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds, onions, half of the curry leaves and a pinch of salt. Fry the onions till golden brown. 

Add ginger, garlic and half of the pepper spice powder, salt and tomatoes. Mix well and cook on low flame till, tomatoes go all mushy and oil is released.

Add the chicken with the marinade. Stir and mix well on high heat for a couple of minutes. 

Reduce the flame, cover and let the chicken cook in its own juices – do check and stir every few minutes so that the masala doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. 

When the chicken is almost done, add the remaining curry leaves and pepper spice powder, stir and serve once chicken is completely cooked through.