Spicy Ginger Chicken

Spicy ginger chicken is a delicious dish where, chunks of chicken stewed in a sauce made of garlic, ginger, tomatoes, chilies, lemon, onion, tomato ketchup, cumin powder and chili flakes. The unique set of spicy, savoury, pungent and umami flavors will surely be a perfect combination with a big bowl of hot steaming rice. If you drool a bit just by reading this, then now is the perfect time to prepare some spicy ginger chicken!

SPICY GINGER CHICKEN RECIPE

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken (chopped into serving pieces)
• 5 cloves of garlic (minced)
• 1 medium sized ginger (sliced into strips)
• 3 pieces green chilies (chopped)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 piece lemon
• 3 medium sized tomatoes (pureed)
• 1 medium onion (chopped)
• 3 tablespoons tomato ketchup
• 200 grams plain yogurt
• ½ cup water
• ½ teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon chili flakes
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ⅓ cup oil (for frying)

Directions:

1. Prepare the chicken and chop them into serving pieces. Place them in a large bowl. Season with salt, and then add the garlic, ginger strips, green chilies, juice of 1 lemon and then mix well. Wrap the bowl and let the chicken marinate for at least 30 minutes.
2. Chop the tomatoes into chunks. Place them to a blender and blend for a few seconds until pureed. Set aside.
3. Heat some oil in a pan and then fry the marinated chicken using medium heat for 8 minutes on each side. Once browned, remove them from the pan and set aside.
4. Using the same oil, add the onions and saute until translucent. Add the pureed tomatoes and saute. Season with chili powder, cumin powder, chili flakes and salt. Mix well and simmer for 3 minutes.
5. Add the tomato ketchup, plain yogurt and half cup of water. Stir until well combined. Once the mixture renders oil, add the fried chicken back to the pan.
6. Add the green chilies. Cover the pan and simmer for 15 minutes using low heat. Stir occasionally to cook evenly.
7. After 15 minutes, turn the heat off.
8. Transfer the spicy ginger chicken to a serving plate. Enjoy this with a lot of hot steaming rice or with pita bread. Yum!

What is Ginger?

Ginger is a type of spice. The root of the plant is harvested and either used directly for cooking or processed into powder. Did you know that ginger is native to Asia? Ginger has been used as an herbal medicine in the ancient China and India.

Ginger has a long list of health benefits. It is known to help boost metabolism, helps in relieving nausea, helps with bloating and constipation by cutting down production of gas inside the body and many more.

Aside from its health benefits, ginger has been enjoyed in the culinary world most especially with its distinct flavor and aroma. It is mostly pungent and spicy with a little sweetness and peppery flavor at the end. Ginger is considered one of the base aromatics when cooking, although most people only uses garlic and onions.

In this recipe, ginger will be used in highlighting the natural taste of the chicken, and to complement other aromatics and seasonings added in the sauce. This type of dish is not made to papak, so I suggest you prepare a big pot of hot steaming rice.

Spicy Ginger Chicken

The world of cooking is a world of different flavors. This is that one aspect which excites me everytime I discover a new dish or a new ingredient. Lately, I had been introduced to the Indian cuisine. I was hesitant at first because I thought that their flavors are too strong for me. After trying out an Indian resto near my work, Indian dishes are just as palatable as our cuisine.

The spice which makes the Indian cuisine highly distinct is the cumin powder. This powder is more of the aroma than the taste. I fell inlove with this spice, making me try this spicy ginger chicken at home.

Family members were shocked as I used the cumin powder in my cooking. As we sat on the table, all I can see were a lot of eyebrows raised while looking at the spicy ginger chicken. Gladly, with the combination of all the flavors, everyone of us enjoyed our meal.

If you want to try a dish which uses ginger and other strong spices, I highly suggest to try it using this dish first for a sureball happy experience. Let this recipe be the eye opener for you to try unique spices like ginger and cumin powder in cooking. Yum!

How to Cook Spicy Ginger Chicken

Making the spicy ginger chicken is as simple as other chicken recipes. With the help of the ginger, your chicken will experience a surprising glow up while being simmered in a savoury and aromatic sauce.

Start by preparing the chicken and marinating it in all the spices and aromatics in the ingredients list. Make sure to prepare extra ginger for later. After marinating, sear the chicken first to create a layer of crispy and brown crust.

Before we start with the sauce, turn the tomatoes into puree using a blender. If you have no blender, you can simply crush them thoroughly. For convenience, you can use tomato sauce. But it is highly recommended to use fresh tomatoes because we want to capture the natural acidity in it.

Saute the aromatics and then the tomato puree. Add the seasonings until well incorporated with the sauce. Beware with using cumin powder because the aroma is really strong.  Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer. Once the sauce renders oil from the tomatoes, that is the sign to add the seared chicken back to the pan. Allow the chicken to absorb a lot of flavors from the sauce before turning the heat off.

I really feel some Indian vibes whenever I prepare this dish. Instead of the regular boiled white rice, I usually prepare some boiled basmati rice for a better experience.

Aside from rice, you can also try to partner this with pita bread. Yum!

COOKING TIPS:

• To easily peel the ginger, use a spoon instead of a knife (trust me).
• Instead of the ketchup, you can also use paprika powder for color.