Lemon Chicken Curry and Bengali Tomato Chutney (optional but delish)

Lemon Chicken Curry is a delicious Indian dish. This recipe has worked like a charm each time we've made it. Jesse and I took an Indian cooking class in Washington DC shortly before moving to the acora. Our instructor, Rupen Rao, posted this recipe on his cooking blog, so Jesse and I tried it out when my parents were visiting. We've made it several more times since then.

Recently, we tried out Rupen Rao's Bengali tomato chutney as a topping. If you do want to make it (it is a delicious complement to the lemon chicken), note there is a tricky ingredient called Panchphoron seeds in the recipe. According to this site, Panchphoron is just a combo of seeds, generally cumin, fennel, fenugreek, black mustard, and nigella (also known as kalonji). Most of these should be available at HIT. We found nigella at the Turkish market near HIT. Also, let us know if you need to borrow any.

Okay, here is the lemon chicken curry recipe, straight from Mr. Rao's blog.

"This is a unique recipe, made with fresh lemon juice. This citrus acts as a souring agent, different but nice, the freshness of lemon juice and cilantro adds a lot of flavor to this dish, apart from the spices. To balance the citrus, I add a little bit of sugar."

Ingredients
6 chicken thighs (or breasts), boneless and skinless – chopped in 2 inch cubes
1/2 cup lemon juice, preferably from fresh lemons
6 tbsps mustard or vegetable oil
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp sugar (to balance sourness from lemon)
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp garlic, minced
2 dry red chilies, broken into two
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp coriander powder
Salt to taste
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
* make a serving or two of rice to go with the chicken

Instructions
In a 3 qt saute pan, over medium heat, heat mustard oil.
When the oil is hot, add cumin seeds and dry red chilies, saute for half a minute and immediately add onions.
Saute until onions begin to caramelize. Then add garlic and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Add powdered spices along with a teaspoon of salt. Mix and cook for a minute.
Add chicken, stir nicely and cook covered for 10 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes.
Add lemon juice and sugar, and cover and cook again for another 15 minutes on low heat, stirring every five minutes.
Finally add cilantro, mix and serve hot.