Chicken Dansak

[tonymexico]

 This is a recipe I have based around my local Indian restaurants dansak- the best dansak I have ever tasted. Unlike many recipes it does not contain pineapple(no proper dansak should), but uses tomatoes to add a sweetness and tartness.

Ingredients

500g chiken breast
1 cup red lentils
10 tablespoons veg oil
1 large onion finely chopped
2 inch piece root ginger grated
3 cloves garlic finely chopped
3-6 birds eye chillies de-seeded and chopped
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon of good curry powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 tablespoon tomato puree
half tin chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon sugar
half a lemon
2 tablespoons chopped coriander
salt to taste(0.5- 1 tablespoon)

Method

Bring the lentils to the boil in a saucepan of water, pour off the scum that floats to the surface then simmer for 25 minutes. Drain of most of the water and set aside to cool.
Chop the chicken into 1 inch pieces and fry on a medium heat in half the oil until sealed. Drain the oil and put the chicken to one side.
Add the rest of the oil into a heavy frying pan and fry the cumin seeds for 2 minutes on a moderate heat.
Add the onion, garlic, ginger and chillies and fry on a medium heat for 10 minutes.
Add the garam masala, paprika, cumin powder and curry powder and fry for a further 2 minutes. Turn down the heat and add the chicken.
Next add the tomato puree, chopped tomatoes, lentils, sugar and salt to taste. Cook on a low heat for 15- 20 minutes adding a little water if it dries out too much.
Finally squeeze the lemon juice into the pan- taking care not to allow any pips to get into the mix. add the chopped coriander, cook for a further 2 minutes then serve

[TimSmith]

A couple of questions -

What size tin of tomatoes are you using ?
Garam masala is usually added at the end stages of cooking - would this improve the result ?

TS

[matt3333]

Hi tonymexico,
Interesting recipe but I'm guessing that with the length of cooking time and lack of any base sauce that this is more home style than BIR.
Another one to add to the ever growing list of must try.
Matt

[tonymexico]

A couple of questions -

What size tin of tomatoes are you using ?
Garam masala is usually added at the end stages of cooking - would this improve the result ?

TS

Hi Tim, I use a large tin of tomatoes(400g). As to put the garam masala in at the end I find that the spices in it need to cook out a bit, that way you end up with a more layered flavour.

[tonymexico]

Hi tonymexico,
Interesting recipe but I'm guessing that with the length of cooking time and lack of any base sauce that this is more home style than BIR.
Another one to add to the ever growing list of must try.
Matt

Hello Matt, the cooking time can be greatly reduced if you prepare your lentils and chicken first, if they are ready to go it can be cooked in as little as 12- 15 minutes. The cooking time I have quoted when the chicken goes in is merely my preference for the meat to be thoroughly cooked. Most bir dansaks are yellow in colour just like the traditional parsi dish, but the addition of the tomatoes turns the dish a redder colour, and adds a richness and thickness a lot of dansak recipes seem to lack. I have tried dozens of recipes from the net, but they all seemed to lack the wonderful flavour my local restaraunt chef Abdul achieves. This is the closest I have come to his fantastic creation, but the recipe is not set in stone and I would welcome any comments on how anyone thinks it may be improved.