Hyderabadi Chicken Curry

Name: Hyderabadi Chicken Curry
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 4 to 6 Servings
Ingredients: 1 1/2 tablespoons tamarind pulp; 1/2 cup boiling water; 1/3 cup roasted peanuts; 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut; 1 tablespoon sesame seeds; 4 tablespoons grapeseed or other neutral oil, divided; 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped; Kosher salt and ground black pepper; 1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger; 4 medium garlic cloves, finely grated; 2 teaspoons garam masala; 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder (see headnote) or 1½ teaspoons sweet paprika plus ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper; 3/4 teaspoon ground turmeric; 1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds; 1 teaspoon cumin seeds; curry leaves (optional; see headnote); 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts, trimmed and cut into ¾- to 1-inch chunk; Chopped fresh cilantro, to serve

Adapted by Courtney Hill

4 to 6 Servings

1 hour

Free

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Salan-style curries, which originate in the south-central Indian city Hyderabad, combine peanuts, coconut and sesame seeds to create a thick, luxurious sauce. There are countless iterations, including murgh ka salan, which uses chicken. We learned an excellent version of it from chef Zuber Momin at his restaurant Hyderabadi Spice in London. The dish is deeply complex, thanks to a base of browned onion, garlic, ginger and oil-bloomed spices. The nuts, seeds and spices make for a lengthy ingredient list, but the knifework is minimal, the cooking is easy, and the finished dish is exceptionally delicious. Kashmiri chili powder is vibrantly colored with moderate heat; we found a mixture of sweet paprika and cayenne to be a good substitute. Curry leaves have a unique inimitable savoriness. While the dish is fantastic made with them, it does not suffer without, so don’t fret about leaving them out. Salan curries are usually eaten alongside biryani, a spiced meat and rice dish, but steamed basmati rice, naan or roti are all wonderful accompaniments.

4 to 6

Servings

Tip

Don’t let the ground spices cook for too long or they may burn and make the sauce bitter. They need just a quick toast before being blended with water.

1 hour

1 1/2 tablespoons tamarind pulp

1/2 cup boiling water

1/3 cup roasted peanuts

1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

4 tablespoons grapeseed or other neutral oil, divided

1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger

4 medium garlic cloves, finely grated

2 teaspoons garam masala

1 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder (see headnote) or 1½ teaspoons sweet paprika plus ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

3/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

curry leaves (optional; see headnote)

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts, trimmed and cut into ¾- to 1-inch chunk

Chopped fresh cilantro, to serve

Ingredients

1½

tablespoons tamarind pulp
½

cup boiling water
⅓

cup roasted peanuts
¼

cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1

tablespoon sesame seeds
4

tablespoons grapeseed or other neutral oil, divided
1

medium yellow onion, finely chopped
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
1

tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
4

medium garlic cloves, finely grated
2

teaspoons garam masala
1

teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder (see headnote) or 1½ teaspoons sweet paprika plus ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¾

teaspoon ground turmeric
1

teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
1

teaspoon cumin seeds
curry leaves (optional; see headnote)
2

pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts, trimmed and cut into ¾- to 1-inch chunk
Chopped fresh cilantro, to serve

Recipe

Garam Masala

Directions

01

In a small bowl, combine the tamarind pulp and boiling water; stir with a fork to break up. Cover and let stand for 30 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve set over another small bowl; press on the solids and scrape the underside of the sieve to collect the pulp that clings. Set aside; discard the solids in the sieve.
02

Meanwhile, in a large Dutch oven over medium, toast the peanuts, coconut and sesame seeds, stirring, until golden and fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a blender and set aside.
03

In the same Dutch oven over medium-high, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil until shimmering. Add the onion and 1 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 7 to 9 minutes. Stir in the ginger and garlic; cook, stirring, until no longer raw, about 1 minute. Add the garam masala, chili powder and turmeric; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add 1 cup water and scrape up any browned bits, then transfer to the peanut mixture in the blender; reserve the pot. Blend on high until thick and smooth, scraping the blender jar as needed, 1 to 2 minutes; set aside.
04

Set the Dutch oven over medium and add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and curry leaves (if using). Cook, stirring, until fragrant and sizzling, 1 to 1½ minutes. Add the puree and bring to a simmer over medium-high; cook, stirring, until very thick, 2 to 3 minutes.
05

Stir in the tamarind liquid and 1 cup water, then add the chicken. Simmer, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until the chicken is no longer pink when cut into, about 8 minutes for breasts or 13 minutes for thighs. Off heat, taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve sprinkled with cilantro.

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Reviews

Denise B.

February 26, 2024

Hyderadadi Chicken Curry is a winner

I knew when I saw this recipe on PBS I wanted to try it and it did not disappoint. I will make this often.

Maxine R.

June 30, 2023

Yum!

This is a delicious curry. 2nd time I am making it. I have curry leaves but used black mustard seeds instead of yellow ones....

Michael Y.

April 2, 2023

Different, tasty

If you like Indian food, definitely give this a try. I liked it though it may not be for everyone. Its got a tangy flavor that we do not usually get in Indian food in North America. I added just a pinch of sugar at the end to balance the tang. I also let the curry sit off heat for 30 mins after it was finished to let the flavors mix a little. I agree it tastes a little like satay but it is still different than satay.

Melissa M.

March 1, 2023

Flavorful and rich

My husband and I loved this dish! I added some thinly sliced seeded jalapeño strips when I added the chicken, and it was the perfect amount of extra spice. Wonderful meal with rice, veggies, and a side of raita.

Beth R.

February 16, 2023

Delicious but uses lots of flavor ingredients

I had all the ingredients except for the tamarind pulp which I was able to find and will use for Filipino sinigang. However, not sure most people have some of the other ingredients such as curry leaves (and it did make a difference and made the kitchen smell wonderful), cumin seed, or mustard seed, while they may have the ground versions of those spices. I used Indian black sesame seeds. The blender didn’t handle making a smooth purée and the sesame seeds remained largely intact. I also used whole chicken thighs with the skin removed, and allowed them to cook for a few minutes in the purée before adding the tamarind liquid and water. Overall the flavor was terrific, and recipe was easy to follow. However, there quite a few spices and aromatics that required multiple steps (soaking the tamarind then extracting the liquid, grating ginger and garlic, warming the spices, making purée, etc) I would probably double the recipe and serve it for a larger group of folks instead of for 4.

Garam Masala