herbed chicken with cashew nuts

I have been posting so many vegetarian recipes that my blog looks like a vegetarian blog now.... There are a few chicken and fish recipe in my drafts but I like vegetables so much that every time I decide to post something I choose a vegetarian dish invariably .

This chicken stir fry is high on greens too as usual , i am so obsessed with including greens in all my meals . Here i used three herbs of my choice , sweet basil , mint and coriander greens ...a fresh aromatic dish with interesting textures .....

ingredients...

chicken 500 gm ( any portions , on bone or boneless )
mint leaves 1 cup
basil leaves chopped 3/4 cup
coriander leaves with stalks and roots 1 cup
green chillies 5 nos. or more if you wish
ginger garlic paste 2 tbsp
black pepper powder 1 tsp
fresh curds 1/2 cup
salt to taste
ghee 1 tbsp
toasted cashew nuts chopped 2 tbsp

procedure...

Make a paste of the herbs and green chillies together , keep aside .

Mix together the curds , ginger garlic paste , salt n pepper and add chicken to coat the pieces . Keep covered for 15 minutes .

Heat ghee in a pan and pour the chicken pieces along with the marinade into it , stir fry keeping the mixture moist all the time . Sprinkle water if it gets dry . Cook covered , tossing once in a while and adding water if needed ... the chicken should be 3/4th done before adding the green paste.

Add the green paste and mix well ... adjust salt and keep tossing and cooking till the flavors of the herbs are absorbed into the chicken . The herb paste is added after almost cooking the chicken because more heating will destroy the freshness of the herbs ( the aromatic essential oils will escape the pan ) ..

Add the chopped cashew nuts in the last to finish the dish , adjust water if you need some saucy gravy or keep it dry like this...

Apart from the aroma and flavors of the herbs , this chicken has a nice tangy taste imparted by the curds , you can use lemon too and i have used lemon juice and zest with great flavors many times ....... whatever you feel like . Heat is low this time as i wanted the herbs to shine through although i add whole black peppers sometimes with great result ...try that you would love it .

I made the dish for dinner that day and the pictures look dark but be assured for the flavors it has . A simple quick recipe for instant gratification .... some roomali roti to go with it .... or any thin chapatis you can manage ... if you are using boneless chicken , it's a great filling for sandwiches or kathi rolls ...

cheers !!!