Daal Kheema or chicken mince with legumes is a Nawabi rich dish which combines two unusual ingredients that work so well with each other. It’s delicious, perfect to entertain and will transport you to a Delhi Nawabi kitchen.
For hundreds of years, the Indian city of Lucknow has been famous for its opulent cuisine traditions, which are still practiced by a few chefs. Until the British arrived on the scene, Lucknow and the surrounding area were controlled by Nawabs. Incredibly wealthy, each Nawabi ruler had a team of chefs, who competed to create the most sumptuous meals. Theirs was a luxurious style of cooking — heavy on cream and oil, marinated meat and innumerable spices.
Thankfully a handful of recipes remain and the chefs have left some traditional and well loved recipes. When the Mughal empire crumbled the chefs and cooks were left to fend for themselves, they set up shop in the open market areas of Old Delhi and a love affair was sealed.
The Nawabi food is exotic. It had to be unexpected. Nawabi cuisine were riddle dishes. At one 19th-century feast, cooks used sugar, honey and other sweets to create an entire riddle meal. Desserts masqueraded as entrees like kebabs, curries and even whole fish. Even a simple, everyday dish would use, shall we say, instead of three or four spices, every day, it would change and would include 30 odd spices, condiments with flavoring agents. But what would always be essential there is an aromatic spice, which is dominant. … It is, again, like music.
Now, the Nawabi lifestyle is no more.
Our good friends mom comes from a royal family in Delhi. Their khandani Bawarchi(family chef) would make authentic nawabi food. She is passionate cook and a treasure cove of stories. Whenever she comes to visit her son in US, we are lucky to be invited to her place for dinner. I am very grateful to have eaten the amazing food. Even more thankful to have some recipes that she’s shared with me. This is the simplest of dishes I’ve learnt from her. Although, this recipe is a toned down version, easy ingredients, it does not lack in flavor. While it might not stand up to the chef or my aunt, it is extremely delicious.
Do try it out!! So good!
How to make Daal Kheema/Chicken Mince with Legumes
In the olden days fresh goat meat would be minced with little fatty tissue to make it rich. I like to use chicken mince. You can most definitely use goat meat if you prefer. Fresher the better.
Freshly ground garlic, ginger paste, roast your cumin and coriander powder for that incredibly delicious flavor.
I’ve used green moong and channa daal. Traditionally only green moong or white urad would be used. I like how both of these pair together.
Make sure to use ghee along with your oil.
Slow cooking it is a must. You will see red oil floating, that is required.
- ½ cup green moong, wash and soak
- ⅓ cup channa daal, wash and soak
- 3 tbsp oil
- 2 tbsp ghee
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp caraway seeds
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 tsp fresh garlic ginger paste
- cumin powder - 1tsp
- 2 tbsp kashmiri red chili powder
- ½ tsp coriander powder
- 1 tbsp hot cayenne powder
- ⅓ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 tomatoes, pureed and cooked for 10 minutes
- 1 pound, ground chicken ( store bought or you can make it)
- 1 tsp fresh garam masala
- 2 tbsp veg oil
- 4-6 green chilies, slit in the middle
- 1 inch ginger, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp chili powder
- Soak the daals for 1 hour and cook in a pan until it cooks 80 perfect. It has to hold the shape. Set aside.
- In a pan, add oil and ghee. Add the cumin seeds, bay leaves and black cumin seeds. Let it pop for a bit, add the onion and fry on low heat until it is golden brown, for about 5 minutes. Put in the garlic and ginger paste, saute for a minute, add the spice powders and salt. Mix well for a minute before adding the tomato paste. Cook this for about 5 minutes, add the ground chicken, mix it really well for 10 minutes. Add the cooked dal, garam masala, cover and cook for 15 minutes.
- In a pan, add oil, put the green chilies, chili powder, ginger, toss and pour it over the daal kheema.
- Serve with paratha.
If you make this Daal Kheem/Mughlai Chicken Kheema, please rate the recipe and comment if you liked it and tag me on Instagram using hashtag #foodfashionparty.
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Asha! This recipe is phenomenal. I wasted no time in making it, and it was utterly delicious. I used spring lamb and I think the substitution worked very well.