Name: Chicken Dhansak
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 60 min
Ingredients: 2 medium red onions, peeled and finely chopped; 20g – 24g/6 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped; 25g unpeeled ginger, finely chopped; 2 tablespoons ghee or vegetable oil; 1 teaspoon cumin seeds; 4 whole green cardamom pods, bashed; ½ - ¾ teaspoon fine salt; 2 green chillies, left whole; 650g boneless chicken – roughly 4 chicken breasts. Or use chicken thighs; 2 teaspoons ground coriander; 2 teaspoons ground cumin; 2 teaspoons garam masala; 1 teaspoon turmeric powder; 1 teaspoon paprika; ½ teaspoon chilli powder; ½ teaspoon curry powder; 100g dried red lentils; 400g tin chopped tomatoes; 35g tomato puree; 1 chicken stock cube; 400ml water – use the tin from the tomatoes as a measure; 2 teaspoons sugar – granulated or soft brown; juice of ½ lemon; 10g - 15g freshly chopped coriander; lemon wedges

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Although classically made with mutton or goat, Dhansak curries are regularly served with chicken in many curry houses. Together with a delicious mix of spices, lentils and tomatoes, this is my go-to favourite meal when eating in an Indian restaurant, or ordering a takeaway. Wonderful served with rice and/or naan, a simple salad of lettuce, tomatoes and onion works really well on the side.

Please don’t be put off by the long list of ingredients – a lot of them are spices, and if you make Indian food regularly, you will probably have most of them in your cupboard anyway. Fortunately, it comes together very quickly, and although it needs to cook for 45 – 60 minutes, this is mostly hands off time – all you really need to do is give it the odd stir from time to time. Perfect for a Friday night fakeaway!

How to make Chicken Dhansak

Collect all your ingredients together:

medium red onions, peeled and finely chopped
cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
unpeeled ginger, finely chopped
ghee or vegetable oil
cumin seeds
whole green cardamom pods, bashed
fine salt
green chillies, left whole
boneless chicken – roughly 4 chicken breasts. Or use chicken thighs
ground coriander
ground cumin
garam masala
turmeric powder
paprika
chilli powder
curry powder
dried red lentils
tinned chopped tomatoes
tomato puree
chicken stock cube
water
sugar – granulated or soft brown
lemon juice

To serve:

freshly chopped coriander
lemon wedges
basmati rice and/or naan bread

How to make this wonderful curry:

Heat a large pan over a moderate heat, add the ghee/oil and the onions, cardamom, chillies, ginger and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes, or until lightly caramelised.
Add the chicken and the spices and salt, stir well and ensure that everything is thoroughly mixed.
Add the lentils, tomatoes, tomato puree, stock and sugar and cook. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover and cook for 60 minutes, stirring from time to time.
Check the consistency after 45 minutes. If there is too much liquid for your tastes, remove the lid, either completely or partially, and simmer for a further 10 – 15 minutes, or until you reach the consistency you are looking for. The curry will splutter and make a mess, so use a splutter guard, if removing the lid.
Taste and adjust seasoning and stir in the lemon juice. Serve with a generous amount of chopped coriander, some steamed basmati rice and/or naan bread.

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Chicken Dhansak

Although classically made with mutton or goat, this delicious Dhansak curry is regularly served with chicken in many curry houses. Together with a delicious mix of spices, lentils and tomatoes, this is my go-to favourite meal when eating in an Indian restaurant, or ordering a takeaway.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Indian

Keyword chicken, dhansak, lentils, tomatoes

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Servings 4

Ingredients

2 medium red onions, peeled and finely chopped
20g – 24g/6 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
25g unpeeled ginger, finely chopped
2 tablespoons ghee or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
4 whole green cardamom pods, bashed
½ – ¾ teaspoon fine salt
2 green chillies, left whole
650g boneless chicken – roughly 4 chicken breasts. Or use chicken thighs
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon chilli powder
½ teaspoon curry powder
100g dried red lentils
400g tin chopped tomatoes
35g tomato puree
1 chicken stock cube
400ml water – use the tin from the tomatoes as a measure
2 teaspoons sugar – granulated or soft brown
juice of ½ lemon

To serve:

10g – 15g freshly chopped coriander
lemon wedges

Instructions

Collect together your equipment (see Recipe Notes below) and ingredients.
Prepare the vegetables:
– onions, peeled and finely chopped
– cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
– unpeeled ginger, finely chopped
Alternatively, blitz the vegetables in a food processor.
Heat a large pan over a moderate heat, add the ghee/oil and the onions, cardamom, whole chillies, ginger and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes, or until lightly caramelised.
Add the chicken and the spices and salt, stir well and ensure that everything is thoroughly mixed.
Add the lentils, tomatoes, tomato puree, stock and sugar and cook. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover and cook for 60 minutes, stirring from time to time.
Check the consistency after 45 minutes. If there is too much liquid for your tastes, remove the lid, either completely or partially, and simmer for a further 10 – 15 minutes, or until you reach the consistency you are looking for. The curry will splutter and make a mess, so use a splutter guard, if removing the lid.
Taste and adjust seasoning and stir in the lemon juice.
Serve with a generous amount of chopped coriander, lemon wedges and some steamed basmati rice and/or naan bread.