Name: Chicken makhani handi (With coconut milk and fenugreek)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: Serves 4–6
Cuisine: Pakistani
Ingredients: 1 tbsp coconut milk powder or coconut cream; 3 tbsp sunflower or corn oil; handful of coriander (cilantro) leaves; ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper; 1 tsp each of coriander (cilantro) and cumin seeds; 1 tsp red chilli powder; 1 tsp sea salt; 1 tbsp double (heavy) cream; 250 g/9 oz skinless, boneless chicken breast or thigh, cut into 2.5cm/1-inch pieces; 1 tsp ground garam masala; 2 tomatoes, roughly chopped; 1 tsp each of grated ginger and crushed garlic; 1 large red onion, finely chopped; 1 tbsp ginger, peeled and cut into julienne; 1 tsp dried methi (fenugreek) leaves; 2 green chillies, finely chopped; 50 g/1¾ oz/scant ¼ cup Greek yogurt

Preparation info

Serves
4–6

Difficulty
Easy
Ready in
45 min

Appears in

Summers Under the Tamarind Tree

By Sumayya Usmani

Published 2016

About

Pottery stalls selling earthenware line many pavements in Pakistan. Unglazed terracotta pots are great for making firni (ground rice pudding) as the rice takes on some of the raw earthy essence of the pot it’s cooked in. This dish is made in a ‘handi’ – a small clay cooking pot that’s often better known as ‘balti’, and said to have its roots in Baltistan, in north Pakistan. If you don’t have a handi or a balti dish (or an open fire!), make this in a wok on