Chicken Khousuey
A super satisfying bowl of nourishment with hints of tradition and bits of fusion resulting in a surreal blast of flavors and textures one must eat to believe. This Khousuey recipe is systematically layered with love, each portion adding a unique bundle of spice and everything nice! Silky spaghetti smothered in a luscious golden coconut curry prepared using creamy coconut milk + a smidgen of roasted, nutty gram flour, fresh garlic and sizzling cumin seeds. Harissa-spiced chunky chicken stew simmered in a base of ripe tomatoes, onions + jalapeños heaped atop, a sprinkle of zesty lemon juice, garnished with fried onions, coriander leaves and Sev (crunchy noodles). Finished with a special homemade chili oil made of Hari Mirch, scallions + crispy garlic chips, this fancy Khousuey bowl will leave you craving seconds...and thirds and wondering where this recipe has been all this time!
Servings: 8
Ingredients
For Chicken Marination
- 2.75 lbs chicken breasts *cut into small pieces
- 2 tsp grape seed oil
- 2 tsp fresh garlic paste
- 1 tsp fresh ginger paste
- 1 tsp papaya paste
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp Harissa paste
- 1 tsp paprika powder
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
For Chicken Gravy
- 4 tbsp Canola oil *divided
- 5 ripe vine tomatoes *chopped
- 1 cup fried onions
- 2 jalapenos *deseeded and sliced
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
For Coconut Curry
- 3-4 tbsp besan *gram flour, dry roasted, depending on desired thickness of curry
- 26 oz coconut milk *2 cans
- 2 tbsp Canola oil
- 2 tsp fresh garlic paste
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp Kashmiri Lal Mirch
- ¾ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- 5 cups water
- 12 oz spaghetti *or any noodles, cooked per package instructions
Garnish
- lemons *wedges
- coriander leaves *freshly chopped
- fried onions
- Sev *crunchy noodles
Homemade Chili Oil for Topping
- 3 tbsp grape seed oil
- 4 cloves garlic *thinly sliced
- 4 green chilies *Hari Mirch-slit, deseeded, rinsed, dried
- 3 tbsp scallions *sliced
Instructions
For Chicken Marination
- Rinse and pat dry chicken cubes. Place chicken in large mixing bowl. Add papaya paste, lemon juice, Harissa paste and ginger/garlic paste. Mix well to combine and massage seasonings into chicken pieces. Now add spices (Kashmiri Lal Mirch, turmeric powder, coriander + cumin powders, red pepper flakes, paprika powder and Kosher salt). Mix well to combine all spices into chicken. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
For Chicken Stew
- In a pot, heat oil on medium high heat. Once oil is hot, add chopped tomatoes and cook for 5-6 minutes, mixing as needed. Add sliced jalapeños, mix and continue to cook for 3-4 minutes. Then turn heat to medium low, cover pot and cook for 12-15 minutes until oil separates. Now add fried onions + Kosher salt, mix well to combine and cook for another 4-5 minutes, covered, until oil separates. Mix well and then transfer mixture to food processor and process gravy to a smooth consistency and set aside.
- In same pot, add 2-3 more tbsp of cooking oil and heat on medium high. Add marinated chicken and cook on medium high heat until chicken changes color, mixing as needed for 7-8 minutes. Now add processed tomato + onions + jalapeños gravy to chicken, stir, bring to a boil, then cover pot and simmer on low heat for 12-15 minutes until chicken is tender. Now uncover pot, turn heat to medium high and cook for a final 10 minutes, partly covered, until oil separates and gravy thickens.
For Coconut Curry
- In a skillet, dry roast besan (gram flour) on medium/medium low heat for a few minutes, mixing as needed, until toasted and aromatic (careful not to burn gram flour). Once cooled, add roasted gram flour + coconut milk into food processor and process into smooth consistency (pulse several times for 1-2 minutes).
- While chicken stew is simmering, prepare coconut curry. In another pot, heat Canola oil on medium high heat. Once oil is hot turn heat to medium, add garlic paste and sauté for 3-4 minutes until aromatic, mixing as needed. Now add cumin seeds, mix and cook for 1-2 minutes. Now add turmeric powder + Kashmiri Lal Mirch, Kosher salt and a sprinkle of water (~2 tsp), mix to combine and sauté spices for 2-3 minutes. Turn heat to medium high, add processed besan + coconut milk mixture, stir to combine, cook for 4-5 minutes, then add 5 cups water and bring to a boil. Then turn heat to low/medium low and let curry simmer for 1 hour (uncovered) until thickened to desired consistency, mixing several times while curry is cooking, as needed. *See Note below for tempering coconut curry.
- Cook spaghetti (or noodles), per package instructions. Strain and set aside.
- In a skillet, heat grape seed oil on medium high heat. Once oil is hot, add sliced garlic and fry until golden brown (both sides) and crisp. Now add green chilies (slit, deseeded, rinsed and dried) and sauté for 1-2 minutes, then add sliced scallions, mix to combine and heat through for a final 1-2 minutes. Set aside.
For Final Assembly
- In separate bowls, place some cooked spaghetti, pour over some coconut curry + chicken stew and garnish with fried onions, freshly chopped coriander leaves, Sev and a drizzle of prepared chili oil on top.
- The Ultimate Chicken Khousuey is now ready to serve with a sprinkle of freshly squeezed lemon juice. A blast of mouthwatering flavors and textures you and your guests are sure to enjoy. Nosh Farma'aiye.
Notes
Storing: I pack remaining coconut curry and chicken stew in separate containers and store in fridge. You can make some fresh noodles/spaghetti, heat up the curry and stew and make Khousuey bowls anytime of the week!
*To add more flavor to coconut curry and mask any residual taste of gram flour, you can temper coconut curry once curry has simmered for at least one hour as follows: Heat 1-2 tbsp oil in skillet. Add sliced garlic, scallions and curry leaves and heat through until aromatic for 3-4 minutes, swirling skillet as needed to prevent burning. Add tempered oil to prepared coconut curry. I actually did this when I reheated leftover coconut curry to prepare a mid-week Khousuey bowl and it was even more amazing!