Country Captain/ Mild Chicken Curry with Saffron

Country Captain is an Anglo Indian chicken recipe, an adapted style of korma. It is very popular in club menu in Calcutta. The name is peculiar and may have come as it was a dish prepared for British officers when they were out of the country. It was a native curry adapted to European taste.There are different versions of this recipe in many countries especially in Southern American cuisine. To know more about this recipe check here.

Recipe source-Simon Parkes and Udit Sarkhel, The Calcatta Kitchen, Interlink Books,2007.

Ingredients
Chicken- 1kg
turmeric- 1/2 tsp
salt as needed
onion- 3 medium
Broken cashew nuts- 1/2 cup
Water- 2 1/2 cup
Ginger- 1 inch
Garlic- 6 cloves
vegetable oil- 2 tsp
Cumin seeds- 1/8 tsp
Bay leaf-2
Paprika- 3/4 tsp
Crisp fried onion- 1 cup
Ground coriander- 1 tbs
Heavy cream- 1/4 cup
Saffron- a pinch
Mint- 2 springs
Cilantro- 2 tbs chopped
Garam masala- 1 tsp
( cinnamon, cardamon, clove and dried bay leaf)

Garnish
Ghee- 1 tsp
Tomato cut into strips or round- 1 medium
green chilly- 3-4

Cut chicken into pieces and marinate with turmeric powder and salt and set aside.
Boil onions and cashew nuts in water for 10-15 minutes till onion is soft. Blend into a smooth paste. Make a smooth paste of ginger and garlic.
Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds and bay leaves, Saute for a few seconds and add crispy fried onions ( you can use store brought fried onions or fry in advance) and ginger garlic paste. Fry for a minute till the raw flavor disappears and add the ground coriander,paprika and turmeric powder followed by the onion cashew paste. Bring this to simmer, add chicken pieces and cook in low flame for twenty minutes until the chicken is cooked. Add cream,saffron, mint,cilantro salt and garam masala. Heat through for 2-3 minutes. The consistency should be medium thick. To finish,heat ghee in a frying pan rapidly fry tomato and chilly and pour over the curry. Serve with rice.