RecipeReplica: Gravy Chicken - Leafy Green & Fiery Red For Father's Day

I dedicate this post to my dad and to all fabulous dads out there -
Happy Father's Day 2010
This day is extra special because this also happens to be the 100th Father's day.
On this extra special day, I want to share a little about my dad - My dad is from a large family of Seven. He was born in a poor family to parents who didn't know much besides farming. Since he was the eldest, he had to be responsible not just for himself but also for his siblings..With such a heavy burden weighing on his young shoulders he had to step-up in life. And step-up he did by studying hard under street lights.Monetary help came from his teachers who recognized his potential. He was ranked 6th in All-India exam that got him an entry into the prestigious Indian Institute of Science(India's Ivy League)  for Ph.D program . Then he came here as a Post-Doc in the early 80s and moved up from there. While he attained new heights, he made sure all his siblings did as well. They are all highly-educated and well placed in high-paying jobs both here and in India to which they owe credit to none other than my dad. My dad is truly one of a kind and there aren't many like him..I am yet to see that kind of sacrifice and selflessness in this day and age.While he has his shortcomings,eccentricities and peculiarities, as all of us have, he still is very special and deserves to be put on a pedestal.

About the recipe- Even though my dad's favorite is Onion Dosa/Uttappam(Indian Crepes) and seeds/nuts, he likes any chicken dish I make when he comes for a visit.Next time when he stops by, I am making this and Kross-Bred Kesari for him. As vouched by Deeba the Cilantro Chicken was truly delicious and totally irresistible. I only saw this recently at her blog and I just had. to. try. I don't have to introduce Deeba because almost every food blogger(with a penchant for baking) would have at one point in time or other visited her space because she has an awesome collection of 'cakes and bakes' and every picture in her posts are a visual treat - A revelation - Food Porn, if you will.Her blog is in the Top 100 food blogs this year. So definitely go check her space out for a double treat--Visual and a bonus -- Yes, there is also a  CSNStores $80 giftcard giveaway happening at her space that ends on 06/27/10.
Now on to the recipe-

Cilantro Chicken(Adapted from Deeba's Green Chutney Chicken):

Ingredients:

• Chicken Drumsticks - 8, skinned and slit at several spots

For The Leafy Green Gravy:

• Cilantro minus the stalks - 1 1/2 cups, packed
• Onion - 1, large, diced
• Cashew - 1/4 cups
• Peppercorns - 1 tsp
• Green Chillies - 2-3, vertically slit
• Garlic - 3 large cloves or 6-7 small cloves
• Ginger - 1/2 inch
• Campari Tomato - 2 (Feel free to use any small- midsized tomatoes
• Olive Oil - 1 tbsp + 1 tbsp
• Clove - 2
• Fennel Seeds - 1/2 tsp

For The Marinade:

• Yogurt - 3 tbsp
• Turmeric Powder - a pinch
• Cracked Pepper - 1 tsp
• Salt - a pinch

Procedure:

• In a Ziploc bag, add the roughly mixed marinade ingredients and throw in the cleaned + slit chicken drumsticks. Let it sit overnight.

• In a really wide saute pan, heat a tbsp of oil and add fennel seeds, Garlic, Onion, Green chillies, Peppercorns. Saute until the onion is slightly browned. Now add the cashew nuts and saute for a couple more minutes. Add the ginger, tomatoes and stir until the tomatoes lose the rawness for about 7-8 minutes.
• Switch off the stove and add the cilantro. Cool the mixture completely and grind to a fine paste along with salt and very little water. Check for taste.
• In the same wide saute pan, add a tbsp of oil and heat it till it almost smokes.
• Sear the marinated chicken for about 2-3 minutes per side. This keeps the chicken moist and juicy. 
• Pour the ground Cilantro paste on top, add about 1/2 cup of water and lid the pan. Cook on medium flame for 15-20 minutes with occasional turning. 
• Check for taste and switch off the stove once the gravy thickens.
• Serve on top of hot rice. 

Makes ~4 Servings.

Enjoy!

Although DH's "model hubby behavior" is debatable, he does strive to be a great dad to our pipsqueak. So he deserves a treat today as well. I plan on making multi-grain muffins for breakfast, Shrimp and Pineapple curry for noon and fiery chicken(MIL's recipe), my hubby's favorite for dinner with flat-bread.

Recipe for this Fiery Gravy Chicken will be posted soon.