Murgir Lal Jhol is a fiery red chicken curry, bursting with aromatic spices and a punchy flavor profile.
This dish is a culinary adventure heightened by the rich blend of Kashmiri red chilis and a variety of aromatic spices.
The recipe promises a mouthwatering experience that’s perfect for lunch or dinner. Check out the step by step guide to make this recipe at home.
Key Takeaways:
- Murgir Lal Jhol is a perfect dish for lunch or dinner and can be paired with rice or parathas.
- The cooking process is pretty simple where you need tender chicken pieces and a few aromatic spices.
- Marinating the chicken pieces gives it the rich flavor and creamy texture.
- Murgir Lal Jhol tastes spicy and fiery due to the intense heat of the Kashmiri red chilies.
- You can create a few veg and non-veg alternatives to this dish by replacing chicken with paneer, mixed vegetables, mutton, egg, or fish.
The Ingredients:
- Chicken: 1 kg (cut & cleaned)
- Ginger-garlic paste: 3 tbsp
- Turmeric powder: 1½ tbsp
- Cumin powder: 1tbsp
- Coriander powder: 1tbsp
- Red chili powder: 1tbsp
- Garam masala: 1 tbsp
- Mustard oil: 4 tbsp
- Kashmiri dry red chili: 4 pieces (soaked in hot water for 10 mins)
- Dry red chili: 4 pieces (soaked in hot water for 10 mins)
- Onion: 3 pieces (chopped)
- Potato: 6 pieces
- Bay leaves: 2 pieces
- Cinnamon stick: 2 pieces
- Black pepper: 10 pieces
- Cardamom: 4 pieces
- Curd: 3 tbsp (beaten)
- Sugar: 1 tbsp
- Salt to taste
How to Cook Murgir Lal Jhol (Step by Step with Images)?
Marinating the Chicken:
1. Take the chicken in a mixing bowl and mix 1 tbsp ginger, 2 tbsp garlic paste, less than 1 tbsp turmeric powder, 1 tbsp cumin powder, 1 tbsp coriander powder, 1 tbsp red chili powder, ½ tbsp garam masala powder and 1 tbsp salt with it.
2. Now mix everything thoroughly. Add 1 tbsp of mustard oil and mix thoroughly. Cover and marinate for at least 30 minutes.
(Expert tip: If you have time, you can marinate it for 1 hour so that the spices can penetrate the chicken more effectively.)
Preparing the Paste:
3. Grind 4 pieces of Kashmiri dry red chilis, 4 pieces of dry red chilis (soaked in hot water for 10 mins), 1 chopped onion, and a bit of water (from soaked chilis). Now grind it with the help of a mixer grinder and make a smooth paste.
(Expert tip: If you don’t have Kashmiri dry red chilis, you can prepare it with Kashmiri red chili powder.)
Start the Cooking:
4. Heat 2 tbsp of mustard oil in a wok. Fry the potatoes with less than ½ tbsp of turmeric powder and less than ½ tbsp of salt until lightly browned. Remove them from the oil.
(Expert tip: Be very careful while anything into the oil.)
5. In the same wok, add 1 tbsp of mustard oil and heat it. Add 2 pieces of bay leaves, 2 pieces of cinnamon sticks, 10 pieces of black pepper, and 4 pieces of cardamom. Sauté until aromatic.
6. Add 2 pieces of chopped onions and stir fry. Add the previously made chili paste and stir fry, adding a bit of water from the mixer grinder. Stir it for 2 mins.
7. Add the marinated chicken, stir fry for 2 minutes, then cover and cook in medium heat until moisture comes out from the chicken.
8. Uncover the chicken, moisture has come out from the chicken pieces, now add the fried potatoes, and stir fry until the water evaporates.
9. Add 3 tbsp beaten curd and stir in a low flame until oil is released. Add lukewarm water to the chicken, along with 1 tbsp of sugar. Mix and cover, cooking for 15 minutes.
(Expert tip: If you add curd in high heat, it may form lumps. Add water according to the desired gravy consistency. Sugar is optional.)
10. After 15 minutes, uncover and add ½ tbsp garam masala into the fiery red chicken curry. Turn off the heat.
11. Murgir Lal Jhol or fiery red chicken curry is ready.
12. Transfer Murgir Lal Jhol or fiery red chicken curry to a bowl.
13. Serve it with steamed rice, jeera rice, naan, roti, or paratha.
Recipe Card
Murgir Lal Jhol | Fiery Red Chicken Curry
Ingredients
- 1 kg Chicken (cut & cleaned)
- 3 tbsp Ginger garlic paste
- 1½ tbsp Turmeric powder
- 1 tbsp Cumin powder
- 1 tbsp Coriander powder
- 1 tbsp Red chili powder
- 1 tbsp Garam masala
- 4 pieces Kashmiri dry red chili (soaked in hot water for 10 mins)
- 4 pieces Dry red chili (soaked in hot water for 10 mins)
- 3 pieces Onion (chopped)
- 6 pieces Potato
- 2 pieces Bay leaves
- 2 pieces Cinnamon stick
- 10 pieces Black pepper
- 4 pieces Cardamom
- 3 tbsp Curd (beaten)
- 1 tbsp Sugar
- 4 tbsp Mustard oil
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Take the chicken in a mixing bowl and mix 1 tbsp ginger, 2 tbsp garlic paste, less than 1 tbsp turmeric powder, 1 tbsp cumin powder, 1 tbsp coriander powder, 1 tbsp red chili powder, ½ tbsp garam masala powder and 1 tbsp salt with it.
- Now mix everything thoroughly. Add 1 tbsp of mustard oil and mix thoroughly. Cover and marinate for at least 30 minutes.(Expert tip: If you have time, you can marinate it for 1 hour so that the spices can penetrate the chicken more effectively.)
- Grind 4 pieces of Kashmiri dry red chilis, 4 pieces of dry red chilis (soaked in hot water for 10 mins), 1 chopped onion, and a bit of water (from soaked chilis). Now grind it with the help of a mixer grinder and make a smooth paste.(Expert tip: If you don’t have Kashmiri dry red chilis, you can prepare it with Kashmiri red chili powder.)
- Heat 2 tbsp of mustard oil in a wok. Fry the potatoes with less than ½ tbsp of turmeric powder and less than ½ tbsp of salt until lightly browned. Remove them from the oil.(Expert tip: Be very careful while anything into the oil.)
- In the same wok, add 1 tbsp of mustard oil and heat it. Add 2 pieces of bay leaves, 2 pieces of cinnamon sticks, 10 pieces of black pepper, and 4 pieces of cardamom. Sauté until aromatic.
- Add 2 pieces of chopped onions and stir fry. Add the previously made chili paste and stir fry, adding a bit of water from the mixer grinder. Stir it for 2 mins.
- Add the marinated chicken, stir fry for 2 minutes, then cover and cook in medium heat until moisture comes out from the chicken.
- Uncover the chicken, moisture has come out from the chicken pieces, now add the fried potatoes, and stir fry until the water evaporates.
- Add 3 tbsp beaten curd and stir in a low flame until oil is released. Add lukewarm water to the chicken, along with 1 tbsp of sugar. Mix and cover, cooking for 15 minutes.(Expert tip: If you add curd in high heat, it may form lumps. Add water according to the desired gravy consistency. Sugar is optional.)
- After 15 minutes, uncover and add ½ tbsp garam masala into the fiery red chicken curry. Turn off the heat.
- Murgir Lal Jhol or fiery red chicken curry is ready.
- Transfer Murgir Lal Jhol or fiery red chicken curry to a bowl.
- Serve it with steamed rice, jeera rice, naan, roti, or paratha.
