Quick Braised Chicken

Ingredients:

Chicken thighs and drumsticks..........................4 pcs; or acc to requirement
Cumin pwdr.......................................................1 generous tsp
Garam Masala...................................................1/2 tsp; (home-made preferred)
Chaat Masala.....................................................1/2 tsp
Pepper................................................................1/4 tsp; freshly ground
Lemon (optional)
Salt to taste
Olive oil

Accompaniment: Potato circles rubbed with salt and oilive oil and baked, Par boiled broccoli

Make diagonal gashes on all the pieces on both sides. Rub them down with all the elements, adding a teaspoon or two of olive oil. Let it stand for an hour.

Heat some oil; enough to sear the chicken. Put all four pieces in the pan if is wide enough to accommodate them without piling up. Otherwise two pieces at a time please. The oil should be hot enough to brown them from the outside quickly while leaving them underdone inside. When all the pieces are done, remove extra oil if any is there. Now put the pieces back into the pan and add water to come an inch above the the chicken.

Raise the heat and bring it to a full boil. Check for salt. Now lower heat to medium, cover and allow to cook until water is dried out. Keep a watchful eye on it. Again we don't want to dry the chicken meat. Serve with lemon quarters; a squeeze of lemon is good.

TIP: To deck it up, you could roast some cashew nuts in a wee bit of oil and sprinkle them over the
chicken. Trust me this not only looks good but adds to the value of the dish!!