1 chicken of 2 kg
1 tea spoon salt
1½ teaspoon red chili powder(pissi hui lal mirch)
½ inch ginger(adrak)
3-4 cloves of garlic(lehsan)
4-5 seeds of tamarind(imli)
pinch of food color
1-1½ cup Greek style yogurt(dahi)
Garam Masala
½ teaspoon black pepper corns (sabat kali mirch)4-5 cloves (laung)
1 nutmeg (jaiphal)1 black cardamom (kali baRi ellaichi)
1 teaspoon cumin seeds (safaid/sabat zeera)
½ inch piece of cinnamon (daar chini)
METHOD:
1.Crush nutmeg
2. Peel ginger and garlic and grind/blend it with a little yogurt so that it blends well.
3. Put cuts on the chicken so that it absorbs the marinade well.
4. Put chicken in a bowl and add yogurt, ground ginger and garlic, food color, tamarind, salt and all the spices in it and apply with hands
5. Its better to keep it overnight or minimum let it marinate for 1/2 an hour.
6. Take a large pot in which chicken can fit in; cook it covered on a low heat becoz there is no water so chicken may stick to the pot.
7. Keep stirring and when you find that it is cooked from one side turn it over, for this the best way is to hold the drumstick with a kitchen towel and turn the chicken over. you can turn it one more time if needed.
8. When you find that chicken is cooked and soft and meat is leaving the drum sticks then don't cover it any more so that it dries up and oil separates.
9. Once the chicken is cooked in the pot there are two options: you can bake it or fry it.
10. Baking the chargha: Apply the gravy remaining in the pot and then put the chicken in the oven on high heat for 10-15 min, it will be glazed and will be juicy as well.
11. Frying is a part of chargha recipe, take a lot of oil in a wok and fry chicken on medium heat for 4-5 min and turn it once. It turns out to be a beautiful fried chargha.
12. It can be made as one of the main dishes in parties, it turns out as a very attractive dish on dinner tables.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
1. This is not the type of chargha available in market, its different from it but is tasty.
2. If you want to use ground garam masala keep cumin seeds and black pepper corns same amount and reduce rest to half.
3. Cook the chicken carefully, use non stick or a good quality stainless steel pot or any pot in which you are sure chicken will not stick to the bottom.
4. If you are frying the chargha, don't heat the oil too much that it will burn, if it is heated properly, this oil can be used after straining for daily cooking, it will have no scent cooking.