Chicken Pickle - Murg Achaar - North Indian, Punjabi

Ingredients

• 1 kg chicken leg, cut in 1 1/2 inch pieces
• 50 g ginger paste
• 50 g garlic paste
• 10 g chili powder
• 5 g turmeric
• 800 ml mustard oil, available at Indian grocery store or vegetable oil
• 2 g asafetida powder
• 200 g onions, chopped
• 5 g black cardamom powder
• 5 g cardamom powder
• 20 g fennel powder
• 10 g black cumin seeds
• 5 g fenugreek seeds
• 10 g mustard seeds
• 3 g bay leaves
• 400 ml malt vinegar

Directions

1. 1

   Mix chicken with chili powder, turmeric and salt with half each of ginger and garlic paste. Rub into meat and let stand for 30 minutes.

2. 2

   Heat oil to smoking point. Reduce heat and deep fry meat for 2-3 minutes. Strain meat and set aside.

3. 3

   Reheat oil and add asafetida, 1 sec. Add onions and deep fry till golden. Add remaining spices and stir for a minute. Add vinegar, bring to a boil, add fried chicken and cook over high heat 3-4 minutes Remove pot from heat and allow the meat to cool thoroughly.

4. 4

   Tie muslin, cheese cloth to opening of jar and leave on kitchen counter for 6 hours. Remove muslin and cover bottle with lid and store in fridge.

5. 5

   Always use a clean, dry fork or spoon to remove chicken from bottle. Do not allow any moisture to get into pickle.

6. 6

   Consume within 60 days.