Chicken Chasni, Chicken with Golden Syrup
Chicken Chasni, Chicken with Golden Syrup
Andrew Williams
Pictures by Andrew Williams
Chicken chasni is a dish that has been popularised by Indian/Bangladeshi restaurant in UK in recent years. The word Chasni, or Chashni to be exact, means Sugar Syrup in Hindi and Urdu. Adding Chashni to chicken gives it a sweet and sour taste, sort of a mix of Indian and Chinese cuisine.
I don't add any chillies or chilli powder into this dish, but I guess you could if you wish. I do use olive oil in Indian cooking, but it depends on how spicy the dish is. For something mild like this, I would avoid adding olive oil because it would impart a flavour. Adding Panch Pooran spice gives it a pickle like flavour.
Ingredients
1 lb chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized chunks
1 large onion, peeled and finely diced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and grated or crushed
1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
200 gm. (half a tin) tinned chopped tomatoes
100 ml warm water
2 heaped tsp. tamarind pulp (made by soaking a piece from tamarind block and then pushing it through a sieve to remove husk and stones)
2 tbsp. golden syrup
150 ml. single cream
4 tbsp. oil (anything except olive oil)
1 tsp. salt
Whole spices to dry roast
1 heaped tsp. coriander (dhania) seeds
1 heaped tsp. cumin (jeera) seeds
1/2 level tsp. fenugreek (methi) seeds
1/2 level tsp. nigella (kalonji) seeds
1/2 level tsp. fennel (saunf) seeds
4 whole black pepper corns (kali mirch)
1/2 level tsp black mustard (rai) seeds
Other Spices
Seeds of 2 green cardamoms, ground or crushed
1 level tsp. white poppy seeds (post)
1/4 level tsp. turmeric
1/2 level tsp. paprika powder
Instructions
Dry roast the whole sices in a wok or karahi. Allow to cool.
Add the cardamom seeds and poppy seeds to the roast spices and grind them all together to a fine powder.
Add turmeric and paprika powder to the ground seeds. Mix well and set aside.
Heat the oil in a suitably sized pan and add the onion, ginger, and garlic. Mix well and cook until the onion is golden brown.
Add the spice powder, mix well and cook, stirring constantly, until the oil begins to separate from the mixture.
Add the chicken pieces and turn the heat up slightly. Cook until the chicken is sealed.
Meanwhile, blend the tomatoes and water together into a thin puree.
Once the chicken is sealed, add the tomatoes and water puree, tamarind pulp and salt. Mix well and place covered in a pre-heated oven at 200 C or 400 F or gas mark 6, for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes remove the pan from the oven, stir and add the golden syrup. Mix well and place back in the oven for a further 10–15 minutes. If you do not have an oven, you can also cook it on a stove or in a slow cooker.
Remove from the oven and stir in the single cream.
Serve garnished with chopped fresh coriander leaves.
