Tandoori Chicken Bharta

Chicken Bharta is one the recipe which is liked by almost everyone. This particular recipe has many versions. “Bharta” means anything which is either mashed or scrambled.  I have tasted chicken bharta in many restaurants where the dish is dry and is almost like a starter while there were other recipes where it is the chicken is prepared in a thick curry. Well, although the gravy version of the recipe is more popular, I think any chicken item which is prepared with finely chopped chicken is termed as Bharta. :)  So I am sharing the Tandoori Chicken Bharta recipe(dry)  along with the traditional Chicken Bharta Recipe (gravy).

Well the Tandoori chicken bharta is again one of my Weekend Venture in the field of cooking. Sometimes it happens that we bring in kebabs or Tandoori from shops and one or two pieces are left over. I personally don’t prefer to have those Tandoori on the next day as it looses the crispiness. So most of the time we end up in discarding those Tandoori chicken pieces. So now if you have tandoori chicken as left over then please don’t discard them and try this Tandoori Chicken Bharta recipe. You can definitely use fresh tandoori chicken pieces for this recipe.

Tandoori Chicken Bharta

Tandoori Chicken Bharta
Ingredients:
Chicken Tandoori – 2-3 pieces,
1 large Onion (finely chopped),
1 small Tomato (finely chopped),
1 tsp. of Garam Masala,
1/2 tsp. of Turmeric Powder (Haldi),
1 lemon,
Salt (to taste),
1 tsp. of Ginger Paste ,
2 tsp. of Oil

Method:
1) Take the tandoori pieces and debone them and cut them into thin slices or cubes.
2) Squeeze 1/2 lemon juice over the shredded chicken and leave for 10-15 minutes.
3) In the meanwhile, heat oil in a pan and add the chopped onion.
4) Once the onions turn transparent, add the tomato pieces and fry for 2-3 minutes.
5) Add the ginger paste and salt to taste.
6) Fry the spices for -5 minutes and add the turmeric in between.
7) If the spice mixture becomes too dry add a spoonful of water.
8 )Then add the shredded tandoori chicken pieces and fry the mixture till the oil separates.
9) Add the remaining 1/2 lemon juice.
10) Garnish with onion rings and coriander leaves and server hot.

Chicken Bharta Recipe (Gravy):

Chicken Bharta

Ingredients
Chicken – 750gm
1 large Onion (finely chopped)
1 medium Tomato (finely chopped)
2 Eggs (hard-boiled)
1 bunch of Coriander Leaves (chopped)
1 tsp. of Garam Masala
1/2 tsp Red Chilli Powder (optional)
1  1/2 tbsp. of Coriander Powder
2 tbsp. of Chicken Tandoori Masala (optional – for a spicier taste)
1/2 tsp. of Fenugreek Seeds (Methi) (roasted & coursely grinded)
1/2 tsp. of Turmeric Powder (Haldi)
Salt (to taste)
1 tsp. of Ginger Paste (Pisi Adrak)
A few drops of Rosewater Essence  (optional)
3 tsp. of Vinegar (Sirka) or 1 lemon
2 tbsp of fresh cream
2 tsp. of Oil

METHOD
1) Mix salt and 1 tsp. of vinegar to the chicken, and set aside for 10-15 minutes. If vinegar is not available then lemon can be used instead.
2) In a pressure cooker heat some water, add the chicken, 2 tsp. of vinegar, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and coriander powder and boil for 3 whistles. Let the steam cool off.
3) Debone the chicken and mince in a mixer. Preserve the stock. Alternatively nowadays, shredded or diced boneless chicken are available in the market. You can buy these shredded chicken and boil with the spices. No need to debone in this case.
4) Heat oil in a pan.Fry the ginger paste, onion and tomato. Add the minced chicken, coriander powder, garam masala and chicken tandoori masala and fry until the oil is released.
5) Add the chicken stock and boil until it gets a gravy-like consistency.
6) Add the methi powder and boil for one minute.
7) Add the fresh cream and boil the gravy for another minute.
8 ) Add the egg-yolk and mash it in. Boil some more until a thick curry is formed.
9) Garnish with coriander leaves and egg whites cut into pieces.

Please Note: Both the above recipes can be prepared with either fresh shredded chicken or with chicken tandoori pieces. Since Tandoori chicken is already coated with spices, the gravy version of the bharta will require less spices as mentioned in the ingredients list. You can also add or remove ingredients as per your choice or availibility but the end product will always be delicious. :)