Gongura Chicken

“Gongura Chicken” is a traditional  Andhra dish. The sour gongura leaves when cooked with spices and chicken gives a very unique and authentic taste. This is one favorite non-veg dish for Andhra people. I have Gongura in my back yard and I can’t wait to use it in my cooking. My son helped me in picking the leaves today.

Ingredients:

• 2 pound Chicken, cleaned and cut into pieces
• 1 big onion diced
• 2Tbsp ginger garlic paste
• 2 Tbsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 Tbsp coriander powder
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 large cinnamon stick (Dalchina chekka)
• 4 cloves
• 1 cup yogurt
• 1 small bunch gongura leaves (discard the leaves from the steam and wash it) cut roughly
• Salt to taste
• 1 Tbsp Garam masala (Home made taste better)

Sorrel Chicken

Directions-

1. In a heavy bottom pan, put 1 tsp of oil and put the roughly cut gongura leaves into the pan and let them sauté for a min , cover the lid and saute them till all the leaves wrinkle and slightly cook. ( It doesn’t need to be cooked fully)
2. In a blender blend the sauteed gongura leaves to a coarse paste ( do not blend it too smooth, grinding it coarsely gives a good texture to the dish).
3. Heat a heavy bottom pan, add cinnamon, cloves, bay leaves and let it saute for a min.
4. Add onions, green chilies and let it saute for 2 mins until the onions are little brown. Add ginger garlic paste and sauté till the raw flavor is gone.
5. Add chicken and let it sit in the dish for 2 min’s. Add chili powder, coriander powder, turmeric, salt and mix chicken to combine with the spices.
6. Add yogurt, stir every thing together and close the lid. Let chicken cook in these spices with occasional stirring.
7. When the chicken is more than half cooked, put the gongura paste into it, stir the whole mixture and let it cook for 10 min or until chicken is fully cooked (if needed you can add little water)
8. Check the seasoning and add garam masala powder, let it cook for a min or 2.
9. Turn off the flame and sprinkle some finely chopped coriander leaves.
10. Serve hot with rice or roti.

Note-

If using pressure cooker, After step 6 cover the lid and let it whistle 2 times

When the pressure cools down, open the lid, add gongura paste and follow the steps from step7.

Gongura chicken with rice and rasam