Gongura Chicken with Bell Pepper

Gardening like everything else is an addiction. Once you have experienced the pleasure of growing something the heady feeling is something you can't let go. I have never heard of Gongura till about 10 years ago and then my neighbor who had it growing and offered me some and I was hooked. So this summer I attempted to grow them. Un-fussy and easy to grow with production all summer long if you harvest them the right way to encourage leaf growth.

While the usual staples have been to make chutney - which is by far our favorite, I have used it in sambhar or dal. I have also added them to Gongura Egg curry like you would mint or coriander leaves. With an abundance of fresh Gongura leaves wanted to give something different a go and tried this Gongura chicken which was very tasty.

Wash, cut into bite sizes cubes and clean the chicken and marinate in some yogurt and salt. Chop the vegetables and keep ready.
Saute the ingredients for the masala, cool and blend to a smooth paste.
Heat a thick bottomed pan and heat oil and add the seasonings. Add in the onions and saute till they start to slightly turn brown. Add the tomatoes and saute till it gets mushy.
Add in the chicken and saute till it starts to get a little pink. Add in the bell pepper and saute for a minute or two.
Add in the blended paste, chili powder and about 1 cup of water. Let it cook on medium heat till the gravy thickens.

Depending on the amount of gravy required reduce or increase the amount of water added.

Gongura Chicken with Bell Pepper
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 25 minutes
Ingredients

1. 1 1/2 lb chicken (I used thighs with bones cut into bite sized pieces)
2. 1/2 cup of finely minced onion
3. 1 cup of finely chopped tomatoes
4. 2 cups (or more) of bell pepper cut into bite sized pieces
5. 1 Potato sliced (optional, I did not add it
6. 1/2 tbsp red chili powder
7. salt to taste
8. 2 tsp oil
9. seasonings: curry leaves, cumin seeds and fennel seeds - 1/4 tsp each, few cloves, small stick of cinnamon
10. 3 tsp turmeric powder
For Masala Paste
11. 3/4 cup of onion chopped
12. 3-4 garlic cloves
13. 1 inch of ginger
14. about 2 handful Gongura leaves
15. about 1 handful coriander leaves
16. 1 tbsp of grated fresh or frozen coconut
17. 3-6 green chilies (as per taste)

Method

1. Marinate the washed and cut chicken in yogurt and salt.
2. To prepare the masala paste heat a saute pan with oil and add the onions and saute till the onions becomes translucent. Add the garlic,green chilies and ginger and saute for a minute more.
3. Add the gongura and coriander leaves and saute till they wilt.
4. Add in the coconut and saute for a minute.
5. Transfer to a blender and blend to a paste and set aside.
6. In a wide mouthed pan add oil and add the seasonings followed by the onions and saute till they start to brown.
7. Add in the tomatoes and saute till they become mushy.
8. Add in the chicken and saute till they start to get pink. Add in the bell pepper and saute for a minute more.
9. Add in the blended paste, chili powder along with a cup of water and salt and cook for another 10-12 minutes or till the gravy thickens and the chicken is fully cooked.

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