Recipe: Chicken Rejala

One of the perks of paying a visit the folks is the free and delicious food that is readily available for my consumption. Mom usually calls ahead to ask when I’m planning on showing up and to take requests for the dinner menu! Yes, I know I’m slightly spoiled in this way, but I swear she does it out of her own volition because it gives her great pleasure to cook and have her efforts appreciated. So I asked for Chicken Rejala this past weekend, a simple and quick chicken curry with potatoes. Since I’ve been meaning to learn recipes from my mom for awhile now, I embraced this opportunity to get a hands-on lesson in the kitchen with my camera charged and ready to go.

Chicken Rejala (Serves 4-6)
Ingredients:

One large chicken, butchered and pieced
3 Tbsp cooking oil (vegetable, canola)
3-4 dry whole bay leaves
1 Tbsp cinnamon sticks, broken up into 1 inch pieces
1 medium yellow onion, sliced thinly
4 cardamom pods
1 tsp cloves, crushed
2 Tbsp turmeric
2 Tbsp chili powder
2 Tbsp garlic paste
2 Tbsp ginger paste
1 cup water
3 cups medium red or white potatoes
1 medium tomato
1 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp cumin powder

In large pot combine oil, cinnamon and bay leaves over medium heat. Add opened cardamom pods, crushed cloves, sliced onion, turmeric and chili powder, garlic and ginger paste.

Stir and sauté until onions are opaque. Add water and salt to taste, bring to a low boil.

Add chicken, set aside liver for later, if using. Cover and cook over low heat for 10 minutes.

While chicken is cooking, cut up potatoes into halves, slice tomato into eighths.

Add potatoes and tomato, cover and cook for additional 10 mins.

Add liver, if desired along with cumin powder, stir and cook for 5 mins, uncovered. And voila, Chicken Rejala!

A few notes…

The chicken used was pretty large, about 6-7 lbs freshly butchered from a local halal market. You would have to adjust the measurements if using smaller or larger poultry. My mom likes to use all parts of the chicken but you can use only legs or thighs or a combination of your favorite chicken parts. Chicken Rejala will definitely be on the menu in our restaurant but it will have to be modified so that the chicken pieces used are boneless.

Some of the ingredients used may sound exotic, but if you take a walk down your supermarket’s spice aisle you’ll be pleasantly surprised at what is readily available. If all else fails, take a trip down to Little India in Artesia and go nuts on the fresh produce and spices. My mom likes to crush the cloves in her mortar and pestle set, but you can throw in whole pieces in you prefer. The cardamom pods can either be crushed in a mortar or be split open between your teeth. You can find ground or whole cumin seeds in stores, for best results grind whole cumin seeds in a coffee grinder and add to recipes for fresher, more potent flavor.

Here’s a pic of opened and unopened cardamom seeds.

A few cloves

A close up of cumin seeds

Garlic and ginger paste can be found on store selves or you can prepare and store your own by blending chopped garlic or ginger along with a little bit of water to get it to a paste-like consistency. My mom makes batches of this ahead of time and freezes it so that it’s ready at a moment’s notice. You can also vary viscosity of the curry itself my turning up the heat for a thicker consistency or simmering over lower heat for a more soupy effect.

Many different vegetables can be used in this recipe including green papaya, cauliflower, tomatoes only or even turnip, basically any type of vegetable that is somewhat starchy and can hold its own in this dish can be used. Avoid leafy greens, they will just wilt and disappear.

And there you have it! This dish is served hot over warmed white or brown rice, you may squeeze a fresh lime over it for added zing. I have yet to attempt this dish on my own but I’m pretty sure I would be able to handle it. One of these days, I’ll have to invite a few friends over and serve them up some Chicken Rejala to see how well my version goes over with them.