Shahjahani Chicken: Iranian and Indian Culinary Arts Meet

 

Shahjahan (King of the World) was the fifth Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1628 to 1658. The Taj Mahal is a monument from his reign, a masterpiece of architecture, which he commissioned to entomb his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal.

He held a Persian Darbar, with Persian costumes and arts. This is why the Indians call this dish, Shahjahani Murgh (Murgh is the Persian word for chicken) or Morgh-Irani (or Persian chicken). In his Darbar, many glorious fragrant dishes were cooked every day. He invited chefs from Persia and Otommon Empire to his palaces to cook new recipes.

This is a rather complex stew served on a bed of plain rice, along with Bourani (yogurt and spinach dip) and walnuts and fresh coriander. A plethora of spices and aromas are used in this dish, the most important of which is saffron.

The king of spices makes the humble chicken an appropriate dish for the King of the World (Shah-Jahan).

 

Yield: 6 servings

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 50 minutes

Calories: 3,900

 

Ingredients:

1 kilogram of chicken thighs and breasts cut into pieces with skins removed

2 white or yellow onions, chopped

8 cloves of garlic, crushed

4 spoonful of dried seedless raisins, soaked

1 cup skinned almonds, crushed

1 teaspoon ginger, minced

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon powdered brewed saffron

1 tablespoon red pepper powder

8 cardamoms

3 cloves

1 small cinnamon stick

2 bay leaves

1 cup full-fat yogurt

½ cup of cream

Vegetable oil for sautéing

 

 

In a pan on medium heat, pour 5 spoonfuls of oil. Sauté the chicken parts until golden. Remove from the pan. Add the onions to the pan, sauté until golden.

Now stir in the ginger, cinnamon, cardamoms, cloves, and bay leaves. Then add in the almonds, and garlic and cumin and red pepper and raisins. Stir for 3 minutes.

Brew the saffron in hot water or using ice cubes as explained in our previous posts. Add the saffron liquid to the yogurt. Gradually and carefully add the yogurt to the spices in the pan.

Using a wooden spatula scrape the pan surface until the yogurt water is evaporated. Now stir in the cream. Then add the chicken with its stock. Salt and pepper the dish to your taste. Lower the heat. Put on the lid. Let the dish cook for 35-40 minutes. Then remove the bay leaves and whole spices from the dish. Garnish with two spoonfuls of chopped coriander.