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Punjabi Classics: Handi Chicken (Tender,succulent chicken cooked in an earthenware pot)

Handi Chicken(HC) is quiet a popular item on the Punjabi menu. Hard working, industrious Punjabis love their chicken and paratha and there are quiet a few dishes that fail to receive as much recognition as Butter Chicken and Chicken Tikka Masala. The Colonial Maters, after their 200 year rule in India, returned back to England. Despite their general hatred towards the Indians or rather the Darkies, they seemed to had fallen in love with the cuisine of the country. As such Butter Chicken and Chicken Tikka Masala are still the most popular dishes in Her Majesty's kingdom.

Irrespective of the fame that these two dishes received, and they sure are amazing dishes, the one that kind of got left behind and failed to achieve as much popularity as it's elder siblings was the Handi Chicken. Now before you run off to try it, do remember that not every restaurant serves a good Handi Chicken. I have tried it in a lot of places and most of them have been disappointing as hell. I don't know what is it that the chefs do to this dish in their kitchen, but its either too creamy, too tomatoie, too dry or too oily. It just never makes the cut for me and I have developed a sort of an inharmonious relationship towards the dish, of late.

Growing up, I had this Punjabi friend who's mother made the most delicious HC I've ever tasted in my life. It was one of the primary reasons why I did his English Homework for him. Food always motivated me, even at a young age. So on those rare days when Aunty would pack HC for my friend as lunch, I would be on cloud nine. That gravy, with a subtle hint of Kasoori Methi and deshi Ghee with soft parathas, was the stuff foodgasms are made of! Of course back then I didn't know I would grow up and become a Food Consultant and food would rock my world 27/7. If I knew that, I would have certainly taken down the recipe.

So basically without Aunty's recipe me or punjabi friends I had to resort to cooking HC myself. Neither could I get a hold on terracotta pots abroad as the name Handi comes from the earthenware pots/ terracotta pots in which the dish used to be cooked. These pots have a different heat temperature; as such the meat tends to be much more tender and the gravy robust.

A Traditional Handi or Terracotta Pot (Image Reference: https://www.unravelindia.com/unravel-india-earthen-ceramic-handi-set-of-3-1.html)

I did quiet a few experiments and arrived at the conclusion that chicken thighs make the best HC. Also the onions have to be fried a deep golden brown for the gravy to be robust. A good helping of Ghee (clarified ghee) and Kasoori Methi helps. Also not to go overboard with the cream. And as always, patience goes a long way in making a humble dish taste exquisite. My dish now comes pretty close to Aunty's dish and I'm damn happy about it!











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