Chicken that has flavor? Get out of town. Or don’t. Milan’s Chicken Jal-frazi gets high marks—it’s easier than fried chicken, quicker than roasted chicken, and spicy is the name of the game. Jal-frazi means “dry-fry,” and it denotes that the dish will finish with little sauce left in the pan. At Milan, Charanjeet Ghotra’s recipe ups the ante with fresh green chilis to round out the flavorful heat of the chili powder. “This North Indian dish goes well with Jeera Rice (cumin rice) or Peas Puloa. You can also serve it with hot naan bread, chapattis (Indian flatbread), or parathas (pan-fried Indian flatbread),” says Ghotra.
 Dry-fry? It’s much tastier than it sounds, so just call it Jal-frazi and get your chilis ready to rock. |
The spice and veggie combinations in Jal-frazi vary from chef to chef, so you can give it a slightly different spin each time you cook it. Substituting butter for part of the oil will give it a richer, thicker sauce; spices can be mixed into yogurt as a marinade or glaze for the chicken before cooking; a tablespoon of tomato paste can take the place of the canned tomatoes if you’re not a big fan. And if you’re craving something super hot, leave the seeds in the chilis.
Chicken Jal-frazi
3 Tbs. vegetable/canola/sunflower
cooking oil
2 onions, chopped fine
3 green chilis, halved (remove seeds to reduce the spiciness)
1 tsp. ginger paste
2 tsp. garlic paste
2 tsp. coriander powder
1 tsp. cumin powder
2 tsp. garam masala
1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
1/2 tsp. red chili powder (optional)
2 lb. chicken (use boneless breasts or
thighs cut into 2" pieces)
1 1/2 cans of diced tomatoes
Salt to taste
2 red bell peppers cut into 2" cubes
To prepare Chicken Jal-frazi, heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed, deep frying pan. Add onions and fry till light brown. Add green chilis, ginger and garlic pastes, and fry for two minutes. Sprinkle in powdered spices (coriander, cumin, garam masala, turmeric, red chili powder) and continue to fry until the oil starts to separate from the masala. Add the chicken and tomatoes, cook until the chicken turns opaque. Add a cup of water, salt to taste, cover and cook till the chicken is almost done. This dish should have very little gravy, so only add more water if needed to further cook the chicken. Toss in red bell peppers and mix well. Let cook for two more minutes, and serve.