Shaker Gourmet: Murgh Kaju

Also known as: Coconut Chicken with Cashews. This is really good and even better the next day.

Murgh Kaju (Coconut Chicken with Cashews)
1 cup roasted or raw cashews + 1/4 cup roasted cashews for serving
4 whole dried red chiles
1 1-inch cinnamon stick
6 whole cloves
3 tablespoons coriander seeds
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 medium onion, chopped
8 garlic cloves
1 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled & sliced
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/3 cup canola oil
1 tsp black pepper
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut crosswise into thirds
2 cups water
1 tsp salt, or to taste

--Process the one cup of raw or roasted cashews into a fine powder in a food processor.

--Combine chiles, cinnamon stick, cloves, coriander, cumin, onion, garlic, ginger, coconut, and 3/4 cup of the just-ground cashews in large sauce pan or casserole over low heat. Cook, stirring, until the cashews and coconut have turned light golden, about 10 minutes. Cool and process into a paste in the food processor.

--Wipe out pan or casserole and put it over medium heat. Add the oil, spice paste, and black pepper, and cook, stirring, until mix turns a deep golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add some water by the teaspoon to prevent the spice mix from sticking to the bottom of pan and burning.

--Add remaining ground cashews and cook, stirring, about five more minutes. Add chicken and cook, stirring, until it turns opaque, about 5 minutes.

--Add the two cups of water and salt, stir well, and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down and simmer, partially covered, until chicken is tender, 15 - 20 minutes. Taste for salt and sprinkle with the 1/4 cup roasted cashews. Serve hot with pita and rice.

When I made this, I used bone-in thighs. I de-skinned them and cooked it a bit longer. I took the chicken pieces out and pulled the meat off with a fork before serving (just stirred it back into sauce). You can use raw or roasted--as the recipe says--but you get a really nice color with the roasted cashews.

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