Savour Assamese Black Sesame Chicken, Flavourful Delight From Northeast India

Eating the same flavors and cooking styles day after day can get dull. If you’re looking to spice things up, try this outstanding Assamese Black Sesame Chicken, an authentic dish from Assam, with a similar variation also enjoyed in Meghalaya, as noted by food enthusiast Richa.

What makes this dish special is its unique nutty smokiness, achieved by coating chicken pieces in black sesame seeds, resulting in a rich and aromatic curry.

Richa, the founder of blog page My Food Story shares her excitement about the dish states, “While exploring chicken curry recipes from India, this was one recipe that I couldn’t stop eating.”

Ingredients

• 500 grams of chicken, preferably chicken thighs, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 50 grams black sesame seeds, kala til, ⅓ Cup
• 2 tablespoons mustard oil, + 1 teaspoon extra for the end which is optional
• 3 bay leaves
• 4 whole dried red chillies
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced, approx ⅔ cup or 100 grams
• 4 green chillies, slit lengthwise
• 2 ½ inches ginger, finely chopped
• 13-15 whole garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon red Chilli powder
• ½ teaspoon jeera powder, cumin powder
• ¼ teaspoon homemade garam masala, use ½ teaspoon if using store-bought
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ cup water
• 1 teaspoon lime juice

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Directions

• Marinade cleaned 500 grams of chicken with ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder ½ tsp teaspoon salt for 10 minutes while you prep everything else.
• Toast black sesame seeds for 3 minutes on a low flame till fragrant. Cool and then grind to a fine powder and set aside.
• Heat mustard oil on high heat in a deep pan until it smokes. Turn off the flame for 2 minutes to cool it down slightly or the whole spices will burn. Turn the flame back on and add bay leaves, red chillies and fry for a minute. Then add sliced onions and fry for 6-7 minutes until the onions turn golden brown. Add ginger, garlic, green chillies and fry for another 2 minutes.
• Add marinated chicken to this and fry on high heat for 2-3 minutes until the chicken turns pink. Add all the dry spice powders and ½ tsp salt and fry for another minute. Add the toasted and ground black sesame powder and toss until chicken is well coated with all the spices – about a minute.
• Add warm water to the pan, cover with a lid and cook until the chicken is tender for about 20-25 minutes. Pour lime juice and mustard oil (if using) on top, give it a quick mix and serve.

(Recipe credit: Richa/myfoodstory.com)