Gongura Chicken - Sorrel Chicken - Sour and Spicy Chicken

We visited Jamaica for a short trip. As we were driving from the airport to where we were staying the bus driver pointed to this big red bucket which was an advertisement for KFC. The bus driver immediately said, Jamaican chicken is far better than US chicken - not pumped with hormones. Another bus driver said KFC is short form of 'keep from cooking' and while in Jamaica jerk chicken is what we should eat and it was the best. Just my kind of people who want to eat real food. It is also sad how the rest of world views American food as pumped with additivies and hormones.

There is also a campaign in Jamaica which asks 'What is in our food?' the billboards of which are everywhere. To be aware of what is in the food we eat and where the food is sourced from is probably good resolve to take for the new year - yah mon :) Of all the many things that Americans do well, cooking food and eating real food is not what they do best.

Hope all of you had a good Christmas celebration and are enjoying the holidays. The best part of the holidays is time spent with family and friends cooking and eating simple but homey foods.



I did not grow up eating Gongura/Sorrel and have always assumed that Gongura needs to be made into a paste for it to be a eaten. While blending is required for a few of the recipes, there are some where the taste comes from cooking the leaves and leaving them as they are. This Gongura chicken recipe being one of them. This is lot easier with no blending and such. The ingredients are simple and the cooking process easy.

I normally do not precook the chicken before adding them to the sauce but here the chicken is cooked before it is added to the masala. If you are worried that all the flavor will be lost don't be, we would add just the right amount of water for the chicken to be cooked so not to throw away any of the excess liquid.

Here is the recipe in pictures,

Cook the chicken with some turmeric and tiny bit of water. While that is cooking, sauté the onions, ginger and garlic, the powders and the tomatoes till they are mushy.
Add in the chicken and cook till the masala is well coated. Add in the gongura leaves.
Cook till the gongura leaves are nice and mushy and till the desired consistency is reached.

It is really a simple recipe and for the time spent your taste buds will be overwhelmed and happy.

Gongura Chicken
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients

1. 1 1/2 lbs of chicken (I usually uses thighs and legs cut into smaller pieces)
2. 1/2 cups of finely chopped red onions
3. 2 ripe tomatoes chopped
4. 3-4 garlic cloves chopped
5. 1 inch piece of ginger grated
6. 6-8 green chilies slit
7. 3-4 cups of loosely packed gongura leaves
8. a handful of coriander leaves roughly chopped
9. salt to taste
10. 4 tsp of turmeric powder
11. 1/2 tsp garam masala powder - powdered cinnamon, cloves, star anise and fennel seeds
12. 2 tsp each of chili powder, coriander powder and 1/2 tsp cumin powder<


13. seasonings : curry leaves and cumin seeds


14. 1 tbsp. oil

Method

1. Wash the gongura and spread it on a kitchen towel to remove any excess moisture. Do this while the masala is getting cooked.
2. Wash and clean the chicken and cut them into bite sized pieces, meat with bones tend to be tastier. Cook till the chicken is mostly cooked with 2 tsp of turmeric powder and just a tbsp. of water for about 8 minutes. While this is happening,
3. In a wide mouthed pan, add oil let it get hot, add in the seasoning cumin seeds and curry leaves. Add the garam masala powder and very quickly,
4. add in the onions and green chilies and let the onion sauté till they are nice and brown.
5. Add in the ginger and garlic and sauté for a minute more, be careful because the grated ginger tends to burn. Add in the coriander leaves
6. Add the coriander, cumin and chili powder and sauté for about 30 seconds and then add in the tomatoes, salt and sauté till the tomatoes are nice and mushy, about 4-5 minutes.
7. Add in the chicken with whatever moisture is in the cooked chicken. Cook for about 2-3 minutes.
8. Add in gongura leaves and continue to mix it in. The leaves should wilt and get sort of mushy. Continue to sauté till the required consistency is reached. This should take about 6-8 minutes.
9. Note: If you want a drier consistency sauté for a while longer till you get the desired texture.

This tastes absolutely delicious with some steamed rice. Like what you are reading? Subscribe!