Yakhni is a traditional Kashmiri recipe which has a yogurt based gravy. It's not hot, which one typically thinks of when indian cuisine is discussed, but actually brings out the rich flavor and aroma of cardamoms and bay leaves.
lets get going here
Ingredients:
1 lb chicken - about 1 inch cubes of boneless skinless chicken breast meat
4 black cardamoms
2 bay leaves
5 cloves
a pinch of asafoedita
1.5 cups beaten yogurt
1.5 table spoon fennel powder
0.75 table spoon ginger powder
salt to taste
2-3 table spoon oil
On the stove:
Add the oil into the pan, let it heat up and then add the cardamoms, bay leaves, cloves, asafoetida, salt and the meat into the oil and cook with occasional stirring till chicken turns golden brown in color. This should take about 10 min on medium heat.
Add the fennel and ginger powder and mix it well with the chicken and let it cook for 3-4 minutes.
Add water to the 1.5 cups of yogurt to make it 2 cups and start adding it slowly to the chicken with constant stirring till the mixture comes to a boil. Continuous stirring is required to avoid curdling of the yogurt.
Bring the chicken to a boil, simmer the heat and let it cook with a cover on the pan for about 30-40 mins with occasional stirring to make sure the chicken doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.
YUMM CHICKEN YAKHI IS READY TO BE SERVED WITH STEAMED RICE !!! NJOY
Pointers:
The choice of pan here is kindda important since you need to make sure that all the meat is soaked in the yogurt eventually.
Cooking on low heat for longer allows the flavors to really get into the meat rather than leaving the meat bland on the inside.
Chicken can be replaced with other meats like lamb, goat or beef. The cooking time will vary with the kind of meat.
