Chicken Dhanshak Recipe

Chicken Dhanshak Recipe:

Dhanshak is a popular Indian Dish with Persi and Gujarati Influence.It is made with lentils,vegetables such as pumpkin,brinjal etc and spices.In chicken dhanshak meat is used but if you want a vegetarian version of the same dish don't use meat. Dhanshak is very popular among the Persi  Zoroastrian community and is genarally cooked in every Persi home in India on Sunday owing to its long preparation time:)It is a healthy and tasty dish and hope that you will enjoy cooking it.

Chicken Dhanshak Ingredients:

• 500 grams chicken.
• 1/2 cup red and yellow lentils(masur and moong dal).
• 1/2 cup skin removed sliced pumpkin.
• 1/4 cup sliced Brinjal/egg plant.
• 3 to 4 chopped okra.
• 1 table spoon tamarind water.(Soak the tamarind in water for 1 hour and use that water).
• 1 large tomato chopped.
• 2 onions chopped.
• 3 to 4 green chilies.
• 1 bay leaf.
• 1 table spoon turmeric powder.
• 1 table spoon palm sugar or unrefined brown sugar(jaggery).
• 8 to 10 Curry leaves.
• salt.
• oil.

Ingredients for spice mix:

• 1 large onion chopped.
• 2 table spoon grated ginger.
• 10 to 12 garlic cloves.
• 1 table spoon cumin seeds.
• 1 table spoon coriander seeds.
• 6 dry red chilies.
• 2 to 3 cloves.
• 4 cardamoms.
• 1(1") cinnamon stick.

Ingredients for marination:

• 1/2 cup thick curd.
• 1 tea spoon turmeric powder.
• 1 tea spoon red chili powder.
• 1 tea spoon cumin powder.
• 1 tea spoon coriander powder.
• 2 table spoon oil.
• salt.

Chicken Dhanshak Cooking process:

Marination process:

1. Mix all the ingredients listed under the "Ingredients for marination process" with the chicken and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Chicken Dhanshak Method:

1. We will start with boiling the lentils and the vegetables.Soak the lentils for at least 1 hour,drain the water.Take a large vessel and boil water in it.Add the sliced vegetables(pumpkin,brinjal/egg plant,okra) along with salt and 1/2 tea spoon turmeric powder and boil till the lentils are completely done.
   
2. The lentils take around 30 minutes to boil so mean while lets start with the spice mix preparation.Heat a pan and dry roast the cumin seeds,cloves,red chilies,coriander seeds,cardamoms,cinnamon stick,keep aside.Now add 2 table spoon oil in the pan and fry the copped onions,garlic and grated ginger.Grind the roasted spices with the onions,garlic and ginger that we fried to form a thick paste.
3. Heat oil in a pan and add the bay leaf,curry leaves,green chilies,chopped onions and fry till the onions become soft.Add the spice paste that we made and saute till the oil separates from the spices.
4. Add the marinated chicken in the pan and mix well with the spices,place a lid and cook in medium heat for 20 minutes.Stir occasionally.
   
5. Check if the lentils that we were boiling with the vegetables are done.Blend the lentils and vegetables to form a thick smooth paste.
6. Add the lentils and vegetables paste to the chicken and mix them.Add the chopped tomatoes,tamarind water,palm sugar,salt and cook it for 15 more minutes.
   
7. Your chicken dhanshak is now ready,serve hot with any rice preparation such as biriyani(Click  for chicken biriyani and Sindhi Biriyani recipes).