Chicken Begendi

Chicken Begendi

I shared a recipe called Hunkar Begendi few days ago and the dish was so good that kids wanted me to make it again on Saturday, we made it again today but instead of hunkar begendi we tried chicken begendi and believe me it was extra delicious. The history of Hunkar Begendi is as beautiful as it's taste and you never know if this recipe of pasta chicken begendi becomes next craze because the taste is so much better then the Hunkar Begendi that if i was the cook in British Raj times i would have had snatched the best award for this, just kidding... I love it when i say i am the best cook because no one else says it, but then again people love my food. This simple recipe will give you taste of Euro Asia. Hunkar Begendi means Sultan (King) enjoyed it, there is no doubt this is one of the most delicious dish introduced by the cooks of Ottoman Royal kitchens.

This simple and delicious dish is second to none in taste and simple to make, its basically a Chicken stew served on a bed of aubergine. The first stage is to make a tomato based lamb stew and you can do this either the day before you want to make Hünkar Beğendi. If you like it please do use comment box below and do not forget to subscribe our site to get new recipes everyday, we don't just share the recipes from around the world, we dig the history for you to bring some of the best recipes for you and we bring the memories of ancient life into your kitchen.

Ingredients:

For Chicken Stew:

1: Chicken meat boneless 1kg (cut in cubes)

2: Tomatoes 3 large (chopped)

3: Onion 2 medium (finely chopped)

4: Ginger & Garlic paste 1tbsp

5: Tomato puree 1tbsp

6: Lemon juice 1tsp

7: Butter 20g

8: Salt as per taste

9: Pepper as per taste

10: Tandoori masala 2tbsp

11: Green chilies 2 (finely chopped)

12: Italian seasoning 1tsp 

For Beğendi

1: Eggplants 3 medium 

2: Cheese handful (grated)

3: Butter 50g

4: Plain flour 50g

5: Milk ½ litre

6: Onions 1 (chopped)

7: Sweetcorn handful (boiled)

Method:

In a bowl marinate the chicken well with tandoori masala, Italian seasoning and set aside for 1 hour.

Heat 20g butter in a nonstick pan on medium flame, add onions and cook for 3 minutes, add salt, ginger & garlic paste, lemon juice, pepper and cook for 2 minutes, add tomatoes, tomato puree, green chilies and cook for 2 minutes, add marinated chicken and mix well, lower the flame and cover the pan with a lid and cook till it has gravy thicken and chicken is cooked.

Preheat your oven to 240 degrees, Prick your eggplant with a sharp knife and place on a baking tray in the center of the oven, bake for 15 - 20 minutes, remove from the oven and set aside to cool down.

Once cooled, make a slit along the length of each eggplant, scrape out the pulp with a spoon, discard the skins and as many of the seeds as possible, chop up the pulp.

In a pan melt the butter on medium flame, add onions and cook till transparent, add plain flour (stir it continuously), once it becomes thick, add milk slowly (stir it continuously), add sweetcorn keep stirring continuously.

Keep stirring and after a couple of minutes, you will notice the sauce starts to thicken, add eggplant, Keep stirring, gently.

Now add your grated cheese and keep stirring until your 'begendi' sauce has thickened enough to make a suitable nest for your Chicken

To serve, share the begendi sauce between your plates, making a little nest in the center of each.

Now spoon the chicken into the nest and allow the sauces to run over the eggplant puree.

Enjoy...