One of my all time favorites spices is cumin, I just can’t cook without it. I love both its earthy aroma and taste. The history of cumin is as interesting as the spice itself, originating in ancient Egypt – more than 5000+ years ago. Cumin seeds are harvested from an herbaceous plant in the parsley family.

Surprisingly, cumin seeds are an excellent source of iron. They are also very beneficial in the digestion process & may also contain anti-cancer properties. Cumin is widely available as both a whole seed & fine powder.

My Jeera Chicken (Cumin Scented Chicken Stir Fry) packs a delicious cumin punch but feel free to decrease the amounts to suit your own personal taste. The key to this recipe lies in the freshly toasted & ground cumin, so definitely don’t skip this step!


JEERA CHICKEN (Cumin Scented Chicken Stir Fry)

Ingredients:

1 lb boneless/skinless chicken, cut into 1½” size pieces
1 cup of red, yellow or orange bell peppers, julienned
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2-3 large garlic cloves, finely minced
1” piece of ginger, peeled & finely minced
3-4 small green Thai chilies, slit in half lengthwise (to taste)
6-8 fresh curry leaves
3 tbsp cumin seeds
½ tsp turmeric (haldi)
½ tsp smoked Spanish paprika
½ tsp red chili powder, to taste
½ tsp kala/goda masala (or garam masala)
1-2 heaping tbsp freshly ground cumin powder (to taste)
salt & pepper, to taste
juice of ½ lemon
2 tbsp ghee or oil (vegetable or canola)
freshly chopped cilantro leaves for garnish

METHOD:

In a large deep skillet, dry toast 2 tbsp of cumin seeds until lightly browned & fragrant. Then remove quickly from the skillet, allow to cool & then grind into a fine powder using a spice mill or clean coffee grinder. Set aside until needed.

Now to the same skillet on medium high heat, add the ghee or oil. When hot, add the remaining 1 tbsp of cumin seeds & allow them to sizzle for 30 seconds or so. Then add in the sliced onions along with the garlic, ginger, green chilies & curry leaves. When the onions just start to brown, add in the spices (turmeric, paprika, red chili powder, kala masala, ground cumin powder, salt & pepper). Stir & let the spices fry for about a minute before adding in the chicken pieces. Mix well to combine all of ingredients together & stir fry the chicken for a few minutes. Then reduce the heat to low, cover & let cook for just 5-6 minutes. Then add in the julienned bell peppers & stir fry for another 3-4 minutes. I like my bell peppers to still have a little crunch, but feel free to cook then longer if you want them slightly softened.

Finish the dish with the fresh lemon juice & garnish with the cilantro leaves. Serve with warm phulkas & fragrant Basmati rice.


VARIATIONS:

Feel free to add your favorite variety of peppers to this dish such as banana peppers, Cubanelles, Anaheim peppers, Hungarian wax peppers, piquillos ...



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