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Murgh cholay
مرغ چھولے (murgh cholay): Lahori breakfast chicken and chickpeas in a spiced onion-tomato gravy
Before eight on a Sunday morning the halwa puri and cholay shops of Lahore's old city, Gawalmandi and Lakshmi Chowk, are already busy, and the richest pot on the counter is usually murgh cholay, chickpeas cooked down with bone-in chicken until the gravy is thick, brick red and spiced with black pepper and dried pomegranate. It is breakfast food, eaten with hot kulcha or puri, a few slices of onion and a squeeze of lemon, and it carries you through to the afternoon. The chickpeas should be soft enough to crush against the roof of your mouth. A thin, watery gravy is the usual complaint; mash a ladle of the chickpeas into the pot to thicken it rather than adding flour. Chef's tip: a teaspoon of ground anardana (dried pomegranate seed) at the end gives the faint sourness that makes Lahori cholay taste right.
- Total time
- 75 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the cholay
- 1 ⅔ lb chicken, bone-in, skinless (thighs and drumsticks)cut into medium pieces
- 1 lb cooked chickpeas2 tins, drained, or 200 g dried, soaked and boiled
- 6 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 onionsfinely chopped
- 1 ½ tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- 3 tomatoeschopped
- 1 ½ tsp red chilli powder
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 /2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 3 cups hot water
- 1 tsp garam masala
To serve
- 2 cm piece fresh ginger (optional)cut into matchsticks
- 2 green chillies (optional)chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh coriander (optional)chopped
- 1 lemon (optional)cut into wedges
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Method
0/9 doneStep 1: Heat 6 tbsp vegetable oil in a heavy pan over a medium heat and fry 2 onions for 8–10 minutes until golden brown.
10 minStep 2: Add 1 ½ tbsp ginger-garlic paste and stir for 1 minute until fragrant.
1 minStep 3: Add 1 ⅔ lb chicken, bone-in, skinless (thighs and drumsticks) and fry over a medium-high heat for 6–8 minutes until it turns white all over.
8 minStep 4: Stir in 3 tomatoes, 1 ½ tsp red chilli powder, 2 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 /2 tsp ground turmeric, 1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper and 1 ½ tsp salt and cook for 6–8 minutes, stirring, until the tomatoes break down and oil shines on the surface.
8 minStep 5: Add 1 lb cooked chickpeas and 3 cups hot water and bring to the boil.
2 minStep 6: Cover, lower the heat and simmer for 25 minutes until the chicken is very tender and reads 165°F in the thickest part.
25 minStep 7: Mash about a ladleful of the chickpeas against the side of the pan and stir them back in to thicken the gravy.
2 minStep 8: Add 1 tsp ground dried pomegranate seed (anardana) and 1 tsp garam masala and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes until the gravy is thick enough to coat a spoon.
5 minStep 9: Top with 2 cm piece fresh ginger, 2 green chillies and 2 tbsp fresh coriander, and serve with 1 lemon and hot kulcha or puri.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 430 kcal
- Protein
- 33 g
- Carbs
- 30 g
- Fat
- 19 g
- Fibre
- 8 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does murgh cholay take?
- About 75 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 60 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of cooked chickpeas?
- Cannellini or butter beans, same amount.
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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