Yesterday I had the pleasure of making and serving a meal from Nepal for the most part to our church’s VBC set up crew. Our theme this year is Everest. We have 265 kids preregistered!
We served a version of Chicken Choila served over Basmanti rice with a side of Carrot-Cabbage Kosambari, watermelon and for dessert S’more Bars to about 100 volunteers. Num!
Chicken Choila
6 servings
2 lbs boneless chicken tighs
2 T roasted cumin seed powder
1 T paprika
1 T crushed dried red chili
5 cloves of garlic finely chopped
1 ginger nub grated
1 whole red onion finely chopped
Salt & Pepper – Taste
2 T Mustard Oil or vegetable oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp Fenugreek Seeds
1 bunch cilantro leaves finely chopped
1 T of coriander powder
1 or 2 freshly squeezed lime juice
3 green chilies finely chopped
Prep Ahead: In a bowl marinate the chicken in 1 tbs oil, 1 tbs of roasted cumin powder, salt & pepper and 1 tbs spoon of coriander powder. Rest aside for at least 30-45 minutes.
Grill the chicken directly over charcoal. If you don’t have a grill, you can also use the oven. Just make sure that the oven is set to Broil and use the top most slot of your oven (close to the fire). Or cook on the stove top too.
Once the chicken is cooked, rest aside for 10 minutes. If you cut the chicken as soon as you take it off the grill then it is going to loose its moisture and the chicken will get dry soon.
Dice the chicken in cubes (preferably small pieces)
When Ready to Serve: In a mixing bowl or tray, layer the chicken with roasted cumin powder, paprika & crushed chilies, onions, 3 cloves of garlic, ginger,coriander leaves and chopped green chilies. Season with salt and pepper. Now in a pan heat some oil. Put in the cumin and fenugreek seeds and roast it until it turns brown. Add the rest of the chopped garlic in the hot oil. Now pour the mixture on top of the mixing bowl. This process in Nepali is called “Jhanu or Jhaneko”.
Now mix everything together and add the fresh lime juice. Taste the food, if its lacking any ingredient you can always add some. Enjoy!
Northerly Nosh 