Chicken Jalfrezi Recipe

Chicken Jalfrezi Recipe for an Indian dish originating from Bengal during the time of the Raj.

A lovely fresh tasting dish that is quite different from other curries in that is more ‘stir-fried’.

The thing that makes a Jalfrezi is the stir fried, smokey, charred peppers, onion and the addition of chopped or whole green chillies.

Chicken Jalfrezi has always been one of my favourites at the Indian restaurant and a dish I have always loved cooking at home.

I love making Jalfrezi with leftover Tandoori chicken or tikka that I have especially prepared for the dish.

For my tikka I use ‘Ome Made Turbo Tikka. A special blend of spices that gives a great, full on flavoured tikka. And for Tandoori Chicken I use ‘Ome Made Tandoori Masala. Again a masala that is full of flavour, low in salt and has that distinctive tang a good Tandoori Masala should have.

If I’m using chicken tikka in a Jalfrezi I find a quick marination in the tikka spice with a little garlic, ginger, lemon juice, salt and a little oil provides plenty of flavour for the finished dish.

For the following Chicken Jalfrezi recipe I used ‘Ome Made Bengali Jalfrezi Masala. This is a blend of spices which nods its head to the origins of the dish and adds some spices that help bring out the flavour of the dish. It’s not overly spicy as I like most of the heat in a Jalfrezi to come from the fresh chillies. If you like it really spicy you may want to add a little chilli powder to the mix.

I have done three similar versions of the recipe. One is made from scratch in a traditional method. Another uses a base gravy in a B.I.R style of curry and the last version uses a Hotel Style Gravy.

If you are unfamiliar with base and hotel gravies have a look at my Easy Curry Sauce post on
how to make them.

Chicken Jalfrezi – B.I.R Style

‘Ome

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Ingredients

  

• 650 ml of diluted base gravy of your choice heated up.
• 1 green pepper deseeded and cut into largish chunks.
• 1 red pepper deseeded and cut into largish chunks.
• 1 medium onion skinned and cut into large chunks with the layers separated.
• Around 12 green chillies Thai cayenne or Birdseye work well.
• 550 g cooked chicken tikka.
• 6 tbsp oil sunflower, vegetable or ghee.
• 2 tbsp of garlic and ginger paste.
• 1 tbsp of ‘Ome Made Bengali Jalfrezi Curry Masala.
• 2 tbsp tomato puree diluted in 400ml water.
• 3 tsp dried methi leaf.
• 1 tsp salt or to taste.
• 3 tomatoes quartered or a handful of cherry tomatoes.
• 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh coriander.

Instructions

 

• In a large pan heat 1 tbsp of the oil. Add the peppers and onions and cook on high until the peppers are blistered and onions starting to colour around the edge. Throw in the chillies, give a quick stir round and then turn off the heat and using a slotted spoon remove the contents of the pan to a heatproof container.
• Heat the rest of the oil in the pan and add the onions.
• Add the garlic and ginger paste and fry for around 40 seconds.
• Add the Jalfrezi Masala and cook, stirring for around 40 seconds. If the spices are sticking add either a little more oil or add a splash of the diluted tomato paste.
• Add the diluted tomato paste and cook ‘till reduced to a thick paste.
• Add a ladle of base and let reduce. Don’t stir to often and let a crust form around the edges. Add two ladles of base and reduce again, repeat until all the base is used, and you have a nice thick sauce.
• Add the chicken and cook gently for 4 minutes.
• Add the peppers, onion and chillies back to the pan and the chopped or cherry tomatoes.
• Add the dried methi leaf and cook for a couple of minutes. Taste and check for seasoning
• Stir in the coriander and then serve with rice and fluffy Naans.

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Chicken Jalfrezi – No Base

‘Ome

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Course Main Dish

Cuisine Indian

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 green pepper deseeded and cut into largish chunks.
• 1 red pepper deseeded and cut into largish chunks.
• 1 medium onion skinned and cut into large chunks with the layers separated.
• Around 12 green chillies Thai cayenne or Birdseye work well.
• 550 cooked chicken tikka.
• 6 tbsp oil sunflower, vegetable or ghee.
• 2 medium onions finely diced.
• 2 tbsp of garlic and ginger paste.
• 1 tbsp of ‘Ome Made Bengali Jalfrezi Curry Masala.
• 2 tbsp tomato puree diluted in 400ml water.
• 1 400g tin of chopped tomatoes.
• 3 tsp dried methi leaf.
• 1 tsp salt or to taste.
• 3 tomatoes quartered or a handful of cherry tomatoes.
• 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh coriander.

Instructions

 

• In a large pan heat 1 tbsp of the oil. Add the peppers and onions and cook on high until the peppers are blistered and onions starting to colour around the edge. Throw in the chillies, give a quick stir round and then turn off the heat and using a slotted spoon remove the contents of the pan to a heatproof container.
• Heat the rest of the oil in the pan and add the onions. Cook on a low heat, stirring often until the onions are turning a toasty brown colour.
• Add the garlic and ginger paste and fry for around 40 seconds.
• Add the Jalfrezi Masala and cook, stirring for around 40 seconds. If the spices are sticking add either a little more oil or add a splash of the diluted tomato paste.
• Add the diluted tomato paste and cook ‘till reduced down to a thick paste.
• Add the tinned tomato and bring to a simmer.
• Add the chicken and cook gently for 4 minutes.
• Add the peppers, onions and chillies back to the pan and the chopped or cherry tomatoes.
• Add the dried methi leaf and cook for a couple of minutes. Taste and check for seasoning
• Stir in the coriander and then serve with rice and fluffy Naans.

Keyword Jalfrezi

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Chicken Jalfrezi – Hotel Style

‘Ome

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Servings 4

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 600 ml of Hotel Gravy
• 1 green pepper deseeded and cut into largish chunks.
• 1 red pepper deseeded and cut into largish chunks.
• 1 medium onion skinned and cut into large chunks with the layers separated.
• Around 12 green chillies Thai cayenne or Birdseye work well.
• 550 cooked chicken tikka.
• 5 tbsp oil sunflower, vegetable or ghee.
• 2 tbsp of garlic and ginger paste.
• 1 tbsp of ‘Ome Made Bengali Jalfrezi Curry Masala.
• 1 tbsp tomato puree diluted in 200ml water.
• 3 tsp dried methi leaf.
• 1 tsp salt or to taste.
• 3 tomatoes quartered or a handful of cherry tomatoes.
• 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh coriander.

Instructions

 

• In a large pan heat the oil. Add the peppers and onions and cook on high until the peppers are blistered and onions starting to colour around the edge.
• Turn the heat down and add the garlic and ginger paste and fry for around 40 seconds.
• Add the Jalfrezi Masala and cook, stirring for around 40 seconds. If the spices are sticking add either a little more oil or add a splash of the diluted tomato paste.
• Add the diluted tomato paste and cook ‘till reduced to a thick paste.
• Now add the hotel gravy
• Add the chicken and cook gently for 5 minutes.
• Add the dried methi leaf, chillies and tomato and cook for a couple of minutes. Taste and check for seasoning.
• Stir in the coriander and then serve with rice and fluffy Naans.

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