Chicken Dhansak

Recipe 14: Chicken Dhansak

21 days, 21 recipes…

SaffronStays Parsi Manor

Our in-house cook Kunda, of SaffronStays Parsi Manor, Matheran, learnt Parsi cuisine back when she was a child and her parents worked in a Parsi household. While she enjoys cooking various dishes, there’s one particular dish which has earned a permanent spot in her heart, and that’s Dhansak. Here’s Kunda sharing her Chicken Dhansak recipe.   

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup split pigeon peas (toor dal)
  • ½ cup red lentils (masoor dal)
  • ¼ cup yellow split lentils (moong dal) 
  • ¼ cup spilt gram lentils (channa dal)
  • ¼ cup black gram lentils (urad dal)
  • 100 gms red pumpkin (chopped)
  • 100 gms brinjal (chopped)
  • 10-12 fresh fenugreek leaves
  • 10-12 mint leaves
  • 1 green chilli 
  • ½ kg chicken
  • Small piece of ginger
  • Water

(For Gravy)

  • 100 gm oil
  • 2 onion finely chopped
  • 1 tomato
  • ½ tsp turmeric powder
  • 2 tsp red chilli powder 
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • 1 cumin powder
  • ½ tsp sambar powder
  • 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
  • 2 tsp dhansak powder
  • Salt

Method:

  1. Soak all the lentils together and set aside for 15 mins.
  2. In a pressure cooker, add oil, soaked lentils, pumpkin, brinjal, fenugreek leaves, mint leaves, chicken, green chilli, ginger and sufficient water. 
  3. Cook until the lentils and chicken are cooked well. 
  4. In a pan, add oil and chopped onions and saute for a minute.
  5. Add chopped tomatoes, turmeric powder, dhansak powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, sambar powder, ginger-garlic paste, dhansak powder, red chilli powder, salt and mix well.
  6. Add tempered mix to the dal and chicken and mix well. 
  7. Serve hot with brown rice. 

Read more: If you’ve missed our Appam and Vegetable Stew.

About Diana Dass