Chicken in Bahraini spices

Like most other food bloggers I love trying out new ingredients and spices. My friend Jubal told me about a garam masala mix from Bahrain that he'd got and was willing to share with me. It seemed like a regular mix of powdered garam masala that also included turmeric, coriander and pepper among other things. The different spices were layered beautifully in the bottle adding greatly to its charm!

It was with quite a twinge that I emptied the contents into a large bowl and mixed up the spices so we could divide it between he two of us. The streak of black that you see near the top of the bottle is what puts this spice blend apart from other garam masala blends. That's powdered preserved lemons and it adds a fabulous flavour dimension to the mix.

I had to cook dinner and there was chicken thawing in the sink. I decided to try out this newly acquired spice mix and I have a winner!

Chicken in Bahraini Spices

1 chicken, cut into pieces
2 large onions, sliced
20 almonds soaked and then ground to a paste
2 generous tbsp Bahraini Spice mix
7-8 cloves fresh garlic
salt
quarter cup fresh dahi/curd
olive oil
2 potatoes, cut in long thick chips
2 bay leaves

Marinate the chicken in salt, Bahraini spice and curd for a couple of hours.

Heat olive oil in a large cooking pan/pot and fry the potatoes till they are lightly browned. Remove to a plate and then fry the onions. Sprinkle a little sugar to help them caramelise.

Pound the garlic in a mortar and pestle and add the fresh garlic to the cooking pot. Once the onions start going pink add the chicken, leg pieces first. Cook for about 10 minutes stirring once in a while. Then add the rest of the chicken pieces reserving the marinade. Add the potatoes now. Bhunno for a bit and then cover and let it cook for another 10 minutes or so.

Add a cup of water to the reserved marinade and add it to the pot. Let it all come to a boil and then simmer it till the gravy is reduced a little. Add the almond paste and cook for another 2 or 3 minutes. Check that the potatoes are done.

Remove to a nice serving bowl and serve with plain steamed rice, rotis or a simple garlic and olive oil focaccia. Garnish with a few flaked almonds if you like, to make it look pretty.

The spice mix has a heady lemony scent and results in a robust spicy gravy - flavourful, not hot. The almond paste gives the gravy body and richness making this dish one I'd be happy to serve at a party.

Alu'r Dom

This is a typical Bong preparation, very easy to make, and is absolutely delicious!! Serve with hot luchis or porotas..

This is how i make it though the recipe will vary from family to family, cook to cook :)

Small or baby potatoes, boiled and skinned.
1 large onion, minced, not paste.
1 tsp GG paste
2 tbsp fresh curd/ dahi
turmeric
chilli powder
Dhania powder
Jeera powder
garam masala powder
whole garam masala
salt
mustard oil
Fresh coriander leaves

Heat mustard oil in a kadai. Let it heat up properly and then fry the boiled and peeled potatoes browning them nicely. Remove on to a plate and keep aside. Put in the whole spices- cardamom, cloves, bay leaf, etc. Fry for a minute and then add the onions. Fry well stirring all the time. Don't burn the onions. Add a minced green chilli if you like your food hot and spicy. Add the powdered spices and the fresh curd. Stir and mix well. let it cook. Add a tablespoon or two of water only if required. Stir well. Add the potatoes and mix well. In case the potatoes are biggish prick with a fork so that the spices and salt can get in. But be careful not to break the potatoes. Let it cook covered for a couple of minutes. There should be no gravy, just the thick masala paste coated all over the potatoes. garnish with fresh chopped coriander and serve.

You can add a little dried mango powder if you like with the other powdered spices. it adds a nice zing.