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Dum ka murgh
दम का मुर्ग़: Hyderabadi chicken in yogurt, cashews and fried onions, sealed to cook on dum
Dum ka murgh is a dish of Hyderabad's Nizami dastarkhwan, still cooked at weddings and Eid lunches: chicken marinated in yogurt, ground cashews, fried onions and whole spices, then sealed in a heavy pot and cooked slowly in its own steam. The gravy is pale, rich and fragrant with cardamom and kewra. The common mistake is opening the lid to check; the steam escapes and the chicken cooks unevenly, so trust the timing and use a heavy pan on a tawa. Food safety: marinate covered in the fridge and cook until the thickest piece reaches 74 °C. Chef's tip: fry the onions slowly to an even deep gold, not brown; burnt birista turns the whole gravy bitter.
- Total time
- 205 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the marinade
- 9 oz thick plain yogurt
- 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- 1 ½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 ¼ tsp salt
- 1 ¾ oz cashews, soaked 15 minutes
- ⅔ oz blanched almonds
For the dum
- 5 tbsp oil or ghee
- 3 onionsthinly sliced
- 4 cloves
- 1 ⅝ in cinnamon stick
- ½ oz mint leaves
- ½ oz fresh corianderchopped
- ½ tsp kewra water (optional)
- 1 sheet foil to seal the lid (optional)
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Fry 3 onions in 5 tbsp oil or ghee over medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring, until evenly deep gold. Lift out to drain; keep the oil.
15 minStep 2: Grind 1 ¾ oz cashews, soaked 15 minutes and ⅔ oz blanched almonds with 3 tbsp water to a smooth paste. Crush half the fried onions.
4 minStep 3: Mix 2 ¼ lb chicken thighs and drumsticks on the bone, skinless with 9 oz thick plain yogurt, 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste, 1 ½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder, 1 tsp garam masala, 1 ¼ tsp salt, the nut paste and crushed onions. Cover and marinate in the fridge for 2 hours (up to overnight).
120 minStep 4: Heat 3 tbsp of the onion oil in a heavy-based pot, add 6 green cardamom pods, 4 cloves and 1 ⅝ in cinnamon stick and sizzle 30 seconds.
1 minStep 5: Add the chicken and all its marinade and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring, until the yogurt no longer looks raw.
10 minStep 6: Scatter the rest of the fried onions, ½ oz mint leaves, ½ oz fresh coriander and ½ tsp kewra water on top. Close the lid tightly, pressing a sheet of 1 sheet foil to seal the lid under it if the fit is loose.
3 minStep 7: Set the pot on a tawa over low heat and cook 30–35 minutes without opening, until the chicken is tender and reaches 165°F at the thickest piece and the oil floats on the gravy. Stir once and serve with naan or rice.
35 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 560 kcal
- Protein
- 46 g
- Carbs
- 16 g
- Fat
- 35 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does dum ka murgh take?
- About 205 minutes in total: 150 minutes to prepare and 55 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of thick plain yogurt?
- Sour cream or buttermilk, same amount.
- What can I use instead of kashmiri chilli powder?
- Sweet paprika with a pinch of cayenne (gives the same colour, less heat).
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