Sneha's Recipe: Dhaba Style

Lapeta means a covering or coating around the chicken, the masala coats the chicken so the name is Chicken Lapeta.

This is a delicious dhaba style dish found mostly in Mumbai Goa highway dhabas. Adding roasted and ground masalas gives it a rich flavour. The exotic aroma of masalas coating the chicken makes it an irresistible dish and best enjoyed with tandoori roti,naan or pulao. You can adjust the spice level according to your taste.

Ingredients
For the Chicken Marination
750 Grams Chicken - cut into curry pieces
½ Teaspoon Turmeric powder
½ Teaspoon Ginger paste
½ Teaspoon Garlic paste
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
To Fry Then Grind to fine paste
1" Chopped Ginger
8 Cloves Garlic
2 Medium Onions - sliced
3 Green Chilies
4 Dried Bedgi Red Chillies
1/3 Cup Packed Grated Dry coconut
1 Bay Leaf
1½ Teaspoon Fennel seeds
1 Small Stick Cinnamon
5 Grains Fenugreek seeds
5 Black Peppercorns
1 Tablespoon Poppy seeds
1 Tablespoon Sesame seeds
1 Star Anise
3 Green Cardamoms
4 Cloves
Other Ingredients
2 Teaspoons Chicken Masala Or Malvani Masala
1 Teaspoons Red Chilly powder
2 Tablespoon Yogurt
1 Medium Onion - Finely Chopped
Salt to taste
1 Tablespoon Kasuri Methi
Oil as required
A Sprig Curry Leaves
Coriander Leaves for garnishing

Method

Marinate chicken with lemon juice, turmeric powder, salt and ginger garlic paste and keep it in the refrigerator for an hour.
First we cook the chicken
In a pan heat 4 tablespoons oil , then add the marinated chicken and sauté till it changes color on high flame for 3 -4 minutes. Now add the ½ cup water and let it cook on medium high flame, till chicken is ¾th done. Separate the chicken pieces from the stock and keep aside.
In the meantime let's prepare the masala
Heat a pan with 2 tablespoons oil the sliced onions till it turn light golden and remove it on to a plate.

In the same pan now add a another tablespoon oil, fry bay leaf, fennel, fenugreek seeds, poppy seeds , sesame seeds, peppercorns, star anise , green cardamoms, cloves for just 2 minutes remove this along with the onions. Next add the bedgi chillies, fry till the chillies release an aroma remove this on to the same plate. Then add the dry coconut, fry till it start to change color. Cool, then place all the ingredient in a blender jar along with yogurt, green chillies, ginger and garlic, grind to a fine paste, if required add a little water. Keep this aside.
To Make the Gravy- Chicken Lapeta
In another pan heat 1/3 cup oil and then fry the finely chopped onions till light golden then add a sprig curry leaves , add the ground paste and fry till oil surfaces. Then add a ½ teaspoon salt, Malvani Masala , red chilly powder, then add the chicken and fry till it coats the chicken. Then add all the stock and cook till full done. This gravy should be thick consistency coating the chicken. Then add kasuri methi, chopped coriander leaves.

Enjoy this with Jeera Rice or East Indian Hand Breads (Apas)

Labels : Spicy, Main course ,Chicken ,Dhaba Style, Maharashtra, Street food, Sunday Funday

In our today's event for Sunday Funday, wherein we share recipes our families will love to enjoy on a Sunday. I thank our host for this week's event
Rebekah Rose Hills of http://rebekahrose.blogspot.com/the theme is "Holiday Side Dishes".