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Pomegranate Chicken Curry

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Welcome nutty cooks! I've made two versions of this dish - this one for those who prefer curries without bones and a drumstick version that is super budget friendly and really, reall tasty — yep! Dem bones, dem bones = tasty, tasty, tasty!

In India this is named Anardana Murgh. In English it is simply Pomegranate Chicken Curry. It's a flavourful chicken curry from Himachal Pradesh. Chicken is cooked in an aromatic masala of spices and the addition of dried pomegranate seeds adds a unique tart and tangy flavour. The fresh pomegranate seeds add pinkish-reddish spots of colour to the dish and a pop of sweet flavour.

This makes a perfect meal when served with basmati rice or naan. The chilli powder can be adjusted to your liking even with a mild chilli powder - the dish will be packed with flavour. This is a dry curry but if you wish to have more of a gravy you can add 250 ml of water just after you stir fry the chicken & marinade.

Click the Method tab below to see a step-by-step guide on how to make Pomegranate Chicken Curry along with some pictures as a guide.

fresh pomegranate seeds in curry

ingredients

Here's what you need :¬)

serves 4

Ingredients for the Marinade

  • 1 kg Bone in Chicken drumsticks or small thighs skin removed
  • 250 ml plain Yogurt
  • 4 Tbsp dried pomegranate seeds ground /Anardana powder
  • 1 Tbsp Ginger & 1 Tbsp garlic paste
  • 1 ½ tsp extra hot Chilli powder
  • 1 ½ tsp Coriander ground
  • ½ tsp Turmeric Powder
  • 1 tsp Sea Salt ground

Note: If you can't find dried pomegranate seeds, you can use 1 Tbsp of pomegranate molasses instead.

for the curry

(Roughly pounded in pestle mortar)
  • 5 Green Cardamoms
  • 5 Cloves
  • 2 Black Cardamon (husks removed)

For the curry

  • 3 Tbsp Ghee/ oil (or you can use half ghee half oil)
  • 3 Indian bay leaves
  • 1 inch Cinnamon stick
  • 3 large Garlic cloves chopped
  • ½ inch Ginger chopped
  • 2 large Onions finely chopped
  • 2 tsp Garam masala powder
  • ½ cup Fresh Pomegranate/Anardana
  • fresh coriander leaves for garnish

method

OK! Your first job is to skin your chicken and set it aside.

So as alway Nutty has a clear surface — all of her spices are to hand, organised & ready. A key step to creating a wonderful masala easily is to have all of your spices ready to hand.

Trust me this is an amazing Masala mix worth the effort.

Method for the Marinade

marinade ingredients
ingredients for marinade
chicken & prepared marinade ingredients
ingredients for marinade 02
  1. Our first job is to remove the skin from the 1 kg chicken and set aside
  2. Now get a plastic pot/container with a tight fitting lid large enough for the chicken and the marinade
  3. Add 250ml of plain natural yogurt to the pot
  4. Use a spice grinder or a pestle & mortar to grind 4 Tbsp dried pomegranate seeds, 1 ½ tsp Coriander seeds and 1 tsp sea salt — set into the pot
  5. Add 1 Tbsp ginger, 1 Tbsp garlic paste, 1 ½ tsp extra hot Chilli powder or you can use a milder chilli powder and ½ tsp Turmeric Powder
prepared marinade
marinade
  1. Stir everything together set the chicken into the marinade, shake well to combine and put into the fridge overnight or for at least an hour
chicken in marinade
chicken in marinade

Method for the curry

curry ingredients
ingredients curry
ingredients close up
ingredients curry 02
  1. Use a Pestle & mortar to roughly bash 5 Green Cardamoms, 5 Cloves and 2 black cardamon (husks removed)
  2. Heat a heavy based pan and add 3 Tbsp Ghee/ oil (or you can use half ghee half oil) until it shimmers hot
  3. Add 3 Indian bay leaves, 1 inch Cinnamon and the roughly ground spices above
add spices to hot ghee/oil
whole spices frying
  1. Allow the spices to fry gently for a few seconds and add in the 3 chopped garlic cloves and ½ inch of ginger - stir to combine
add garlic & ginger
garlic & ginger frying with spices
  1. Add your 2 large chopped Onions, allow to cook until they become translucent and lightly browned
add onions
onions added to frying spices
  1. Turn the hob to maximum, add in the entire pot of chicken and marinade and stir fry till the chicken starts to change colour - about 5 to 6 minutes
add chicken & marinade
add chicken & marinade
  1. Cover with a tight fitting lid, lower the ring to low / medium and cook for 25 minutes
  2. Check the dish occasionally and give it a stir
stir occasionally
pomegranate chicken curry cooking
  1. Add in 2 tsp Garam masala and cook for another 5 minutes or until oil separates to the sides
  2. Add ½ cup fresh Pomegranate seeds /Anardana and sprinkle with fresh coriander leaves for garnish
add pomegranate seeds
fresh pomegranate seed in curry
add coriander
coriander added to pan

Serving suggestion

Serve with basmati rice or naan bread. This is a dry curry but so full of a varied mix of flavours it needs no fancy accompaniments :-)

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