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Palak Murgh

© Marna Gatlin

This is from Dorthy Harris via Raghavan Iyer the originator of the recipe,who teaches Indian culinary classes in Minneapolis Dorthy writes:

This recipe is one that I received in a cooking class that I attended a number of years ago. It's been a favorite ever since; if you like Indian cooking, you know that most Indian dishes are extremely flavorful but not necessarily hot-spicy. Everyone that I serve this dish to falls in love with it, and it's relatively simple to prepare. I hope that you'll try it!

Palak Murgh (Chicken with Spinach)

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I use both dark and light meat from a whole chicken, but it's a little more work)
1/4 cup vegetable oil or ghee (clarified butter, see note at bottom)
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 teaspoon chopped garlic (more to taste)
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh ginger root
1 cup tomato sauce
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, ground
1 Tablespoon coriander seeds, ground
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1-2 teaspoons cayenne
1-2 teaspoons paprika
salt to taste
10 ounces cleaned spinach, chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon garam masala (available in Asian grocery stores; I make my own - see note at bottom)

Cut chicken into pieces as desired (I prefer bite-sized chunks); wash. Pat dry, set aside. Grind cumin seeds, coriander seeds, turmeric, cayenne and paprika together (see note at bottom). Heat oil or ghee in deep skillet or heavy stockpot; add onions, garlic and chopped fresh ginger root. Saute until well-browned over medium to medium-high heat. Mix in tomato sauce, ground spices (cumin, coriander, turmeric, cayenne, paprika) and salt; simmer for a few minutes until oil begins to separate from the spices. Add spinach; simmer over a medium flame for 10-15 minutes, adding a little water if needed. Add chicken; cook until chicken is done (just a few minutes). Whisk in heavy cream and garam masala; heat just until cream is warmed through. Serve hot with steamed basmati rice: 1 part basmati rice to 2 parts water, bring to boil and simmer on low heat, covered, for 9 minutes. Turn off heat and let sit (covered) for another 8-9 minutes. I sometimes add a teaspoon of chicken bouillon granules to the water for the rice for a little richer flavor.

Note: You can buy ghee in Indian grocery stores in pint or quart-sized jars if you don't want to make your own. For grinding spices, I have a second coffee grinder that I use only for spices. See http://www.pclink.com/dharris/Garam_Masa... for garam masala recipe.