Murgh Dopiaza

(Indian chicken with onions)

Yield: 4-6 servings

INGREDIENTS	PREP	AMOUNT
Onions	chopped	2 each
Garlic	chopped	4 cloves
Ginger	chopped	1 Tbsp
Chiles, hot	chopped	3 each

Oil or ghee		3-4 Tbsp
Coriander	ground	1 Tbsp
Cumin	ground	1 Tbsp
Turmeric		1 tsp
Cayenne pepper		1/2 tsp to 1 tsp
Onions	thinly sliced	3 each

Chicken breast or thighs	boneless, skinless, cut into 1" cubes	1 1/2 to 2 lbs
Stock or water		2 cups
Saffron (opt.)		pinch
Salt & pepper		to taste

Yogurt, plain		1 1/2 cups

Basic Steps: Puree → Sauté → Simmer → Stir in yogurt

Put the two onions, garlic, ginger and chili peppers in a blender or food processor and puree. Add a little water if necessary.
Heat the oil or ghee in a heavy-bottomed skillet. Add the coriander, cumin, turmeric and cayenne and stir to toast lightly. Add the onion puree and stir till cooked through and somewhat reduced. Add the sliced onions and sauté over low heat till wilted and lightly browned.
Stir in the chicken, stock or water, saffron, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover simmer about 20-30 minutes till chicken is cooked through and tender.
Remove from heat and stir in yogurt. Adjust seasoning, return to flame and reheat just till starting to bubble. Remove and serve.

Substitute mutton, lamb or pork for the chicken if you like.
Some sources say that the sliced onions should not be sautéed first, but rather added with the stock or water and simmered raw.
A cup or so of chopped tomatoes can be stirred in with the stock or water if you like.
Adjust the heat of this dish by adding more or less chili peppers or cayenne.

Do piaza is a particular way of cooking meats especially popular in the Hyderabad region that uses lots of onions. The phrase do piaza means "two onion" and indicates that onions are added twice in this method of cooking. Some sources say the the amount of onions used should be double the amount of meat.
Do not allow the dish to boil after adding the yogurt or it could curdle.