Quick Chicken Saagwala
Ingredients:
For the rice
1 ½ cups long-grain rice (like basmati) $0.61
2 ¼ cups water
1 teaspoon salt
For the saagwala
2 tablespoon oil
400g skinless, boneless chicken (thighs, breast or tenderloin) $8
2 teaspoon salt
1 onion, finely diced $0.015
1 tablespoon crushed ginger $0.08
4 garlic cloves, peeled and grated or crushed $0.10
1 teaspoon ground cumin $0.24
1 teaspoon ground coriander $0.33
1 teaspoon garam masala $0.05
1 teaspoon chilli flakes $0.49
500g spinach leaves, chopped $3.50
2 teaspoons lemon juice $0.14
Total: $13.55
You’ll also need a food processor or blender for this recipe. If you don’t have one, just add the spinach leaves directly to the onion, ginger, garlic and spices in your pan and keep the sauce chunky - it’ll still be delicious!
Method:
Make the rice. Add 1 ½ cups of rice to a small pot along with 1 teaspoon of salt and 2 ¼ cups of water. Set the pot over medium heat. Once the top of the water is looking a little foamy and starting to bubble, turn the heat to low and put the lid on your pot. If your pot doesn’t have a lid, use a wooden board or a plate. Leave it there with the lid on, undisturbed, for 12 minutes. After 12 minutes, turn the heat off and remove the pan from the stovetop. Let it sit for another 10 minutes, then fluff up the rice with a fork and get ready to serve. PRO TIP: You can make the rice and the saag at the same time, cutting the cooking time right down.
Cook the chicken. Chop your chicken into bite-sized chunks, then add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a large frying pan or skillet over high heat and add the chicken pieces. Let cook in the pan for 4 minutes undisturbed to get some lovely charred bits (colour = flavour). Turn the chicken over, then cook for another 4 minutes. Remove the chicken onto a plate, then cover lightly with foil.
Cook the onion, garlic, ginger and spices. Scrape any burnt bits out of the pan, but keep as much chicken fat in there as you can for the best flavour. Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the pan, then add the diced onion, 2 teaspoons of lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon or spatula for 2 minutes, until the onion starts to soften (it’ll change colour and look more transparent). At this point, go in with the ginger, garlic, chilli flakes, garam masala, cumin and coriander. Cook for another minute, stirring until the garlic and ginger start to soften and the spices are smelling beautiful and fragrant. Transfer everything into a blender or food processor.
Blanch the greens. Get a large pot, three-quarters full of water over high heat and bring to a boil. Add the greens, and cook for 3 minutes. PRO TIP: You can transfer them straight from the pot to your blender along with the spices, garlic, ginger and onion OR transfer them to a bowl full of ice water first. Putting them into ice water will ‘shock’ the leaves and preserve their vibrant green colour, so if you can do this extra step, I recommend it for the best colour at the end!
Blitz the saag sauce. Transfer the greens to the blender too, then blitz into a super smooth sauce, adding a little more of the blanching water if needed. Taste, and season with a little more salt and lemon juice if you think it’s missing something.
Garnish and serve. Pour the sauce back into the pan you cooked the chicken and spices in, then add the chicken back in with the sauce. Turn the heat to low, then stir the chicken through the sauce so it’s completely coated. Serve with steamed rice for a proper fakeaway experience!
