An Onion & Pepper Chicken Fry to Heal Old Wounds
An aunt that runs away from home at 18, makes her way back to the family, armed with a recipe from her husband’s family. Buttery garlic and jammy onions in a peppery chicken fry. But will it be enough to heal broken hearts and open wounds?
Some recipes travel much further, and are more complicated than others.
This recipe wouldn't be here through me, if my aunt hadn’t run away with the love of her life when she was 18 years old. Decades later, after having been the subject of a state-wide hunt, after having cut off from her family for good, she has returned. This chicken recipe is the star of all the feasts she puts forth for her sisters, brother, and family. Setting aside the old 'blood is thicker than water' adage, I personally believe it is the sweet, thick onions in this dish that played a significant role in her welcome back into the family.
She learnt this recipe from her mother-in-law, who in turn, learnt it from a neighbour, Mr. Khan, who was also her husband's business partner. This onion-pepper chicken was served at every party. My aunt’s mother-in-law then passed it on to her daughters, and decades later, it reached our family.
My aunt and her partner ran away from their respective family homes in Bengal, and sought refuge with his sister in Kanpur. It was there that she first tasted this dish, which was called ‘Fry Chicken’. Later on, when things settled down and she returned to Bengal to her present husband's home, the dish became a regular feature at all their meals.
It took years and multiple kadhais of this dish, but today she is back in the family'. When we go to her place and she feeds us a spread of delicious food, I can sense she is not just feeding us but my family’s past grievances as well. This chicken was one of the first dishes she cooked for us. Was it long lost love or just the pull of taste buds that re-tied broken knots? I can't say that for sure. But I am certain, this lip smacking, earth-shattering, soothing, sweet, garlicky chicken made every heart that tasted it melt like the onions in her dish.
This dish has had a strike rate better than the best of this season's IPL.
It’s a five-ingredient dish where garlic becomes the texture of softened butter, onions take on a jammy consistency that helps reduce the kick of pepper. It pairs well with flaky, crisp paratha, eaten as a starter, or even have it as a side dish with dal-rice.
Do not be alarmed or illusioned by the quantity of onions. If it is good enough to coax and mollify upset relatives, it can surely be counted on. So like my aunt followed her heart, I urge you to follow the recipe.
The onions should reach this colour before adding in the chicken.
Onions getting a jammy consistency.
Colour and consistency of the onions when adding pepper.
Roasting the chicken on high heat to dry the water, and give the chicken some colour.
The finished dish.
Chefs Tips
The thicker the garlic cloves, the better.
Do not let your onions brown before you've added the chicken.
Mustard oil is preferable. It lends a distinctive flavour and complements the onions
RECIPE FOR ONION PEPPER CHICKEN
Ingredients
500 gm chicken, curry cut
500-600 gms onions, sliced
20-25 whole garlic cloves
2-3 heaped tbsp pepper powder
4 dried red chillies
Mustard oil
Salt as per taste
Method
In a kadhai, heat mustard oil till it smokes. Add in the whole peeled garlic cloves. Let them turn brown on a medium heat.
Add the dried red chillies, breaking them into rough halves. It will only take a few seconds for the chillies to turn a darker color.
Add the sliced onions, and turn the heat to medium. Stir it well, and let them turn just pink. They should not turn brown but a soft pink (with dark edges).
Now add the chicken and salt. Make sure that you use curry cut chicken and not just the boneless pieces, since the onions will need to cook further with the chicken.
Cook the chicken on a mid to high heat for a couple of minutes, but don't let the chicken get any color. The chicken will start releasing water.
Now cover the kadhai, and turn the heat to low. Let the chicken cook in its juices, stirring it once and then covering again.
Slowly, after 10-15 mins, the water will be almost dried out. The chicken will start getting some colour and the onions will start getting jammy.
Poke a piece of chicken to see its tenderness. Now turn the heat to full. Add the ground pepper powder, and roast the chicken well. The oil will separate and it may stick to the kadhai.
Serve hot with a crisp paratha. It goes even better with a Malabar parotta.
Amrat Singh is a freelance writer and curator, whose work can be best described through a venn diagram of films, food and culture.
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