Chicken Kheema Pav (Mumbai Style)
If you are a Mumbaite and at some point have dined at a good old Parsi Cafe, you would have noticed that Kheema Pav is the most sought-after dish.
The lip-smacking dish has many versions – Maharashtrian, Andhra, Sindhi, Iranian, Goan way of preparations. Each has a distinct flavour of its own.
It is a slow-cooked and extremely flavourful recipe, usually made with mutton.
Somehow, I have never eaten it outside my home. Never really felt comfortable eating kheema outside. Also, I don’t fancy red meat. But have heard a few good reviews of the ones served in a few popular South Bombay restaurants – Café Excelsior (Fort) and Grant Hotel (Ballard Estate).
Here, in the recipe I have a chicken kheema in green masala version.  The tomatoes and curd makes it tangy and the sauting of onions give it the caramelised sweetness. You can make it spicier just by adding a few more green chillies and bit more of garam masala. In winters, I would do that. But this I had made on a hot summer afternoon in the sweltering heat of May and hence have tried making a mildly spicy version of this.
The pav is an ideal accompaniment here. I have served with some fried papads which gives it a nice crunch.
At most Moghlai restaurants this is also served as breakfast, which is a bit heavy to begin the day, but yes it can be easily taken as a mid-day meal. So here is a no-fuss and a straight forward take on Chicken Kheema Pav.
Chicken Kheema Pav
Ingredients :
- 250 gram chicken kheema
- 100 gm green peas
Green Masala paste :
1 cup fresh coriander leaves
6- 7 green chillies
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1 black cardamom
2 cinnamon sticks
5-6 black peppercorns
4-5 cloves
3 tsp coriander powder
2 tsp cumin powder
½ tsp turmeric
To saute :
¼ cup Oil
3 medium chopped onions
2 medium tomatoes
3 small bay leaf
2 green chilli slit
3 tbsp curd
½ cup water
Salt to taste
½ lemon juice
Method :
- Heat oil add chopped green chillies and chopped onions and saute till transculent.
- Add chopped tomatoes and cook till soften.
- Mix dahi and green chutney very well and add to the onion & tomatoes.
- Add salt and saute for 3 to 4 mins.
- Then add green peas and kheema and saute for 3 to 4 mins.
- Add ½ cup water and cover and cook untill all water gets dry and oil separates.
- Add juice of half a lemon
- Garnish with chopped coriander.
- Serve with toasted pav and lemon.
