Introducing the vibrant and colourful chicken jhalfrezi recipe – a popular dish that fuses Indian and Pakistani culinary influences. Bursting with an array of bell peppers, onions, and juicy chunks of chicken, this flavourful and aromatic curry is a celebration of spices and textures. Perfect for those who crave a satisfying meal that effortlessly marries bold flavours with a touch of heat, chicken jhalfrezi is sure to tantalize your taste buds and leave you craving for more.
Serves 4
Preparation time 10 minutes cooking time around 40 minutes
Recipe Difficulty level - Beginner-Friendly
Special equipment - Chinese wok
Heat level - Hot Hot
Chicken Jhalfrezi is a relatively easy curry to make, the hot curry sauce is similar to making a basic 'madras base curry gravy'. We will be using this curry base in a lot of curries on this site so its worth mastering that method, it's even worth making a large batch and keeping it in the freezer. If you are going to do this then it would be worth keeping the heat levels lower so that they can be adjusted up for the hotter curries like phall and vindaloo.
The best method for cooking this is to build the texture, by thoroughly cooking the tomatoes with the garlic and fresh chillies at the beginning and then incorporating the spices. I am fortunate enough to own a 'Stir-fry burner' which really does help get some heat into this first stage process, so naturally I use a Chinese wok for this purpose. The majority of Indian restaurants use this method in one form or another.
I can remember sitting in a restaurant with some work guys and one of them was eating this with tears running down his face I asked him if it was hot, and he replied "Yeah,bloody lovely!" - Steve
But of course you don't have to make it that hot unless you want too. The spice 'heat' level can be adjusted with the amount and type of chillies and chilli powder, so judge for yourself what you want.
Chicken Jhalfrezi Recipe
Ingredients:
1 chicken breast per person
For the hot curry sauce or use 2 ladles of madras base curry gravy
4 tablespoons of ghee or oil
3 cloves of crushed garlic
1 tin 400g of tomatoes
6 hot chillies roughly chopped
2 teaspoons of ground cumin
2 teaspoons of ground coriander
3 teaspoons of chilli powder
1 teaspoon of turmeric
1 tsp garam masala
1 teaspoon of Celtic or Himalayan salt
Plus 1 teaspoon extra of turmeric for stir-fry
For the Stir-fry:
2 large coloured bell peppers, chunky chopped
1 large onion, chunky chopped
1 clove of garlic thinly sliced
A small piece of ginger thinly sliced
6 - 8 whole chillies depending on how hot you like it (optional)
Small cherry tomatoes (optional)
Coriander leaves
Lemon juice
Whole spices for the stir- fry
1 cinnamon stick broken
4 Cardamon pods
1 teaspoon of mustard seeds
How to make Chicken Jhalfrezi
Click here for Kitchen Timer
Prep all your ingredients, cut the chicken breast into large pieces and keep aside, measure out spices, peel garlic and so on...
For the hot curry sauce
Heat the oil or ghee in a large pan and then add the garlic and chopped chillies, fry until the garlic has turned golden brown.
Now add the tinned tomatoes and bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer until the oil starts to separate from the tomatoes, use a wooden spoon to break up the tomatoes as you go to create a smooth sauce.
Add the ground spices and stir in well, adding a splash of water if the spices start to stick. Cover the pan and lower the heat, simmer for 10 minutes do not let this dry out or burn, then keep to one side.
Stir-fry
In a wok, add 2 tablespoons of oil or ghee (coconut oil is the best due to the high temperatures required for a stir fry) heat the oil until it starts to lightly smoke then add the ginger and garlic, add the chicken pieces, and fry until the chicken has sealed. Then add the peppers, onions, and chillies. (Remember this is a stir-fry, so keep the ingredients moving or they will burn)
lower the heat to medium, and add the whole spices and turmeric. Stir-fry until the chicken is cooked through i.e. white inside. (The chicken should look yellow from the turmeric powder)
Finally add the hot curry sauce to the stir-fry and combine well along with the salt and cherry tomatoes let this simmer for a few minutes, finish off with the garam masala and coriander leaves. and a squirt of lemon juice
Goes well with:
Please leave a comment below to share your own experience in preparing this recipe.
Cheers Steve.
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