Chicken Ghee Roast

INGREDIENTS
    1 kg chicken
    1/2 cup ghee (clarified butter) * see notes
    2 tsp sugar
    a few curry leaves
    2 tbsp chopped coriander

For the marinade

    juice of 1 lime
    1/2 cup thick curds (yogurt)
    1 tsp turmeric powder
    salt to taste

For the masala
    10 Kashmiri chillies
    8 Kumti/Bedgi chillies
    12 peppercorns (Kali mirch)
    1 tbsp coriander (dhania)
    1/2 tsp cumin (jeera)
    1/4 tsp fenugreek (methi)
    12 garlic flakes with skin
    1/2 tsp tamarind paste or 1 marble size tamarind soaked in 2 tbsp water
 

 METHOD
  
Cut the chicken into medium size pieces, wash & drain on a colander. Marinate it with the ingredients mentioned under 'For the marinade' and refrigerate for 4 hours or more (I marinated it for 1 hour)

Heat a tawa or non stick pan & dry roast the chillies, peppercorns, fenugreek, coriander & cumin seeds. Take care to see that the chillies don't burn otherwise they will let out a bitter taste. Using a little water grind all these ingredients along with the garlic & tamarind to a fine paste. Retain the masala water from the mixer.

 Heat 1/4 cup of ghee in a wide thick bottomed pan and add the marinated chicken pieces and cook over an open flame till the pieces are almost cooked. Transfer the pieces to a vessel and the liquid (gravy) to another bowl.
 
In the same pan add the remaining ghee and fry the ground masala for 5-6 minutes or till the raw smell vanishes and the oil leaves the sides of the pan.
 
 Add the fried chicken pieces 1/2 cup of the reserved liquid & salt to taste (remember that the marinade already had salt - so go easy on the salt). Cook on a medium high flame till the masala dries up. Add the sugar & mix.
 
 Garnish with curry leaves & chopped coriander leaves & turn off the flame
 Serve hot as an appetizer or as a side dish with rice