Do you have days when you take out something from the deep freezer and you ponder what to make?
I took out some chicken wings today and I was lost for choice of what to do with them. There was just too many things that I wanted to make. In the end I opted for something that me and hubby will really enjoy seeing as most of my girls are going off animal proteins.
So I made some dry bhuna style masala wings.

This masala always tastes great because of the roasted spice mix which I think always adds a different layer of flavour and character. The fennel notes always please me and there’s nothing like chicken wings that cook in a flash, they always carry spices well and just taste delicious!
The finishing touch with tomatoes and onion layers is optional. I like it as they add a little sweetness and depth to the dish. The best bit though, no whole spices to bite into!

I’ve used chicken wings with the skin on which I prefer because it always adds lots more flavour to the dish. I simply clip the wing tips off and discard, split the wing into niblets which is how I like mine to look and cook!

This dish is definitely one to try. You need to make it, even if it’s just once because they are amazing!

INGREDIENTS:

For the marinade:
12 chicken wings with skin, cut into niblets, tips discarded.
Add some salt to taste,
1/2 tsp of turmeric
1 tsp of chili powder
1 tbsp of ginger garlic paste
mix all the ingredients together into the chicken and let it sit for at least 20 minutes or more.

For the Dry bhuna masala:
1 medium sized onion finely chopped
1 tsp of cumin seeds
6 curry leaves
3 dried red chillies
2 medium ripe tomatoes blended
1 tsp salt
1 ½ tsp chili powder
½ tsp of turmeric
3 tbsp of full fat yogurt well mixed at room temperature
1 tomato cut into large chunks
1 white onion into quarters and layered.
fresh coriander for garnish.

For the Spice Mix:
Take a plate and add
3 tsp of whole coriander seeds
1 tsp of cumin seeds
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp of fennel seeds
2 tsp of kasuri methi
3 cardamoms 1 cinnamon peice 5 cloves 2 bayleaves

METHOD:

Firstly marinade the chicken as above and keep aside.

Take a frying pan and dry roast the whole spices for literally a minute and just until it becomes aromatic but make sure it does not change colour. Remove from the pan and let it cool down. Once cooled, grind into a fine powder.

In the same pan, or whichever you would like to use, add about 1 tablespoon of oil just to coat the pan and fry your wings so it is browned and taking on a golden colour and half cooked. You will notice that the skin renders fat, this will be the base of the curry. You don’t need to use this if you choose not to but I do.
Once brown take your chicken out and put aside. This may take approximately 10 minutes.

Let the oil in the pan heat up.
Add the cumin seeds and let them take on a little colour. Next add your chopped onion, salt, curry leaves and torn dried red chilies. Let this fry for a few minutes. Don’t let the onions brown, just cook till they are softened and translucent.

Next add your blended fresh tomatoes, mix well and continue to cook this on med heat. You want to cook out the tomatoes really well because this will add the richness to your dish. Wait until you see the oil splitting.

At this point add the chilli powder, turmeric and your ground spice mix. Continue to cook this now covered on a low flame until the oil is separating from the spices and sides of the pan each time you stir it. Add water if you need to loosen and bring it back to the oil splitting stage.

Next add your chicken wings into the spices. The wings will not require any additional water to allow it to cook because instead we will now add yogurt to provide that richness. Reduce your flame and make sure your yogurt is well beaten and at room temperature. The water released from the yogurt will provide the necessary liquid content in order for the wings to cook. Add the tomatoes and onion layers and green sliced chillies.

Cover and cook in the spices on a low flame for approximately 10 minutes. Stir occasionally until the oil begins to separate, you have a lovely thick curry sauce and your wings are completely cooked.

Simply garnish with some fresh coriander and serve.

These wings are really delicious eaten on their own or if you want you can enjoy them with some flat breads. I personally love tucking into them with some plain boiled rice.

Tips:

This recipe works fine with regular chicken on or off the bone. Just adjust your cooking times.

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