Lahori Chargha
Whole chicken marinated in traditional Pakistani spices, steamed and then fried for a delicious and crispy masala coating. Absolutely divine!
Servings: 4
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Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken, skin off 1 medium sized chicken = 800g/1.7lb
- 2 tablespoon (40 g) full fat yogurt
- 1.5 teaspoon red chilli less if you prefer a more mild flavour
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder or seeds
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 0.5 teaspoon turmeric
- 2 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 tablespoon ghee
- 3 tablespoon vinegar
- 2 tablespoon gram flour
- 1 egg (raw)
- 7 cloves of garlic minced (about 2 tsp)
- A small chunk of ginger minced (about 1tsp)
- Oil as needed for frying
- Chaat masala optional, for sprinkling over
Instructions
- Whisk or grind all the ingredients except the chicken, chaat masala and the oil. Spread this mixture all over the chicken, being sure to get into the deep cuts. Marinate this for a minimum of 4 hours, but ideally overnight
- Prepare a pot - use either some vegetables such as potatoes or onions, a trivet, bunched up foil or a steamer basket to help suspend the chicken above the base of the pan as shown in the images in the blog post. Add half a cup of water to the pot, then carefully place the chicken over whatever you've used to suspend it. Ensure the chicken does NOT touch the bottom of the pot, otherwise it may burn. Cover with a tight lid, and steam on a low heat for 25-35 minutes. You'll know the chicken is done when the juices run clear when you stick a skewer or knife through the meatiest part of the leg
- Allow the chicken to rest for 15 or so minutes before frying
- Prepare a pan/wok with a few centimetres of oil. Heat the oil and once it is hot, add the chicken. Carefully fry the chicken, turning once one side is crispy and coloured. Avoid overhandling the chicken, as the marinade may scrape off. Use tongs and/or a spatula to help you.
- Once the chicken has been fried all over, remove it from the oil and allow it to drain on a tissue before serving. Sprinkle with chaat masala before serving if you like!
Video
Notes
If you like a more fierce red colour, you can use paprika or kashmiri red chilli powder.
If spicy is not your thing, just use 0.5 teaspoon of red chilli powder in this recipe
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