Jalfrezi is among the most popular Chicken Curry dishes in Indian and Pakistani restaurants worldwide. I have made Jalfrezi many times, but I never knew there were different variants from different countries. Though Jalfrezi originated in undivided India, it became popular in the UK. It is said that Chicken Jalfrezi is one of the most popular dishes in the UK. Jalfrezi is a dish in which fried meat or vegetables are stir-fried over a high flame with a sweet, spicy, tangy and thick tomato-based gravy.
Table of Contents
1. About the recipe
2. Ingredients
3. Step-by-step method
4. Tips
1. About the recipe
This Jalfrezi curry is made with boneless juicy chicken chunks, beautiful tender bell peppers and onions smothered in a thick and rich mouthwatering tomato gravy. Make the most delicious chicken Jalfrezi right at your home!
Making this curry is easy once you have prepared all the ingredients. It comes together in 30 minutes. The flavour of this curry tends to intensify over time,so leftover is even tastier.
Sauteeing the vegetables first, then adding them towards the end of the cooking, provides enough flavour. This not only tastes amazing, but my mild spicy version will leave you feeling good and satisfied.
Today, I am sharing with you a recipe with chicken. You can swap it with paneer, tofu or different vegetables( mushroom, cauliflower, baby corn, french beans work well here) for a vegetarian version of this dish.
Why you will love Chicken Jalfrezi
- It’s a curry dish with lots of beautiful flavours.
- The taste experience is ultimate with rich seasoning, delicious curry flavours, and succulent chicken pieces, making this curry a show-stopper.
- This is an easy and quick recipe with ingredients that are easily available in your nearest grocery store. You will have a weeknight dinner ready in no time.
- This dish can be customised according to your preferences. Make it with different meat, vegetables, paneer or tofu.
Let’s start cooking!
Serving Suggestions: 3
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
2. Ingredients
- 500 gm boneless chicken pieces
- 1 red bell pepper cut into cubes
- 1 green bell pepper cut into cubes
- 1 onion cut into cubes
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 2 large tomatoes chopped
- 1 tablespoon of chopped ginger
- 1 tablespoon of chopped garlic
- 2 tablespoons of tomato ketchup
- 1 tablespoon of butter
- 1 tablespoon of cooking oil
- Salt
- 1 green chilli slit
- Chopped coriander leaves for garnish
Jalfrezi Spices
- 1 teaspoon of ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon of black pepper powder
- ¼ teaspoon of turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon of red chilli powder
- ½ teaspoon of garam masala powder
3. Step by Step method
Stir fry the Vegetables.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a kadhai or deep frying pan. Once the oil is hot enough, add onions red and green bell peppers cubes. Saute them for 1 minute over medium flame. The goal is to get some golden colour on the veggies. Keep the vegetables aside.
Stir fry the Chicken.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in the same pan. Once the oil is hot enough, add chicken pieces, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt. Saute on a medium flame for 4 to 5 minutes until the chicken is fried and coated well with spices. Once done, transfer to a plate and set aside.
Preparation of the Gravy.
- Heat the remaining oil and butter in the same pan on medium flame. Add chopped onions. Saute onion for 2 minutes until onion turns slightly pink and softened; add chopped ginger and garlic.
- Saute for 1 minute on low flame. Add the ground cumin, coriander, black pepper powder, red chilli powder, and turmeric powder. Saute to mix.
- Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of water and cook for a couple of seconds. This step prevents spices from burning and helps release their flavours.
- Add chopped tomatoes and salt. Stir and cook until tomatoes turn mushy.
- Once done, add tomato ketchup and give it a mix.
- Add fried chicken pieces and stir fry for 2 minutes on medium flame.
- Add ½ cup of water and mix.
- Add sauteed onions, bell peppers and slit green chilli.
- Stir to mix and simmer the flame, cover and cook until chicken pieces is tender.
- Turn off the flame and sprinkle garam masala chopped coriander. Stir to mix and serve it hot.
- Serve it with a bowl of rice, zeera rice, ghee rice, pilaf or flavoured Pulao. It also goes wonderfully well with Naan, Paratha, or Roti.
4. Tips
- Stir. Frying the chicken pieces for a few minutes before adding them to the gravy will give them a lovely coating and juicy texture.
- Sauteing the vegetables first and then adding them towards the end of the cooking maintains their crunch, colour and nutrition.
- You can customise the dish’s spiciness by adding more or less chilli. Here, I am using Kashmiri red chilli powder for the bright red colour and less spicy.
- Simmering the chicken gravy for the final few minutes takes the Jalfrezi to the next level. So, I recommend sticking with it to achieve rich flavour and taste.
- Adding fresh tomatoes gives an authentic gravy compared to one that we find in cans. So I suggest you follow the same.
