Lavand-E-Murgh Recipe – Afghani Chicken In Yoghurt Gravy

Lavand-e-murgh is a rich, creamy chicken curry where chicken is slow cooked in yoghurt along with spices to create a tasty, satisfying and delicious dish. Course : Dinner Ingridients : 800 grams Chicken 4 tablespoon Oil , adjustable 3 Onions , finely chopped 2 Green Chillies , slit lengthwise 2 Cardamom (Elaichi) Pods/Seeds 1/2 inch Cinnamon Stick (Dalchini) , Cinnamon – ½ inch stick 3 Cloves (Laung) 1-1/2 teaspoon Ginger Garlic Paste Salt , to taste 1 teaspoon Black pepper powder 1 teaspoon Turmeric powder (Haldi) 1-1/2 tablespoon Coriander Powder (Dhania) 1 teaspoon Garam masala powder Water , as required 1 cup Curd (Dahi / Yogurt) 4 sprig Coriander (Dhania) Leaves 5 Whole Almonds (Badam) , blanched (optional), grind to a fine paste with two tablespoons of water Fresh Pomegranate Fruit Kernels , few for garnish Instructions To begin making the Lavand-E-Murgh Recipe, wash the chicken and drain all the excess water.Heat oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pan. Add the whole garam masalas including cardamom, cinnamon, cloves to the oil. When they begin to splutter slightly, add the onions and green chillies. Cook onions until they turn light brown in colour.Add the ginger garlic paste and saute continuously for a minute. Add the chicken and sprinkle the salt over it, mix well.Add the pepper powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder to the chicken mixture and stir well. Ensure the chicken is coated well with the masala powders, stir evenly to coat all the chicken pieces. Cook for five minutes.Add coriander powder just before adding the curd, as coriander powder will thicken the gravy. Sprinkle some water if you feel the gravy has thickened too much.Discard excess water from yoghurt as we need a creamy consistency. Whisk the yoghurt with a spoon for a few seconds until it’s creamy. When the chicken is half cooked, stir the yogurt and add fresh coriander leaves to the chicken.Stir everything evenly to make sure the yogurt is mixed well with the masala mixture in the pan. Add half a glass of water which is about 100ml, cover with lid and cook on low flame for 15 minutes.Follow optional step given below or directly go to the last step.Last step: Remove from stove once gravy has thickened considerably and oil starts floating on top. Garnish with pomegranate pellets.Optional Step - Microwave almonds for 1 min and remove the skin. Grind the almonds to a fine paste with 2 tablespoons of water and add to the chicken gravy just before removing it off the stove. Cook for a minute. This is done to add more richness and texture to the gravy.Serve Lavand-E-Murgh along with Whole Wheat Lachha Paratha  and Burani Raita for a simple yet delicious weekend meal.