Do-Pyaza: Tale of Two Onions or is it ?? !! When I had first heard the name of Chicken Do-Pyaza, in my childhood, I was certain that this particular dry Chicken dish was made only with two onions.The Chicken was juicy and succulent in a somewhat dry gravy with caramelised slivered onions, which had the inherent heat of black pepper. A somewhat popular joint in Central Kolkata in the 1980s used to serve up the best of Do-Pyaza, and I still drool, when my mind travels back to those tasty food memories. Do-Pyaza was not one of those dishes which Mom usually made at home, which only meant that we would only savor it when we went out dining to that particular Central Kolkata joint. My misconceptions, about how this dish was concocted, grew on with me.Till about a few years back, when I was invited to a dinner at a colleague's place, I knew how wrong I had been all these years It was not exactly TWO onions which made the somewhat dry gravy, but it was the fact that onions were added TWICE in the cooking process. And that was enough inspiration for me to give a try at making Do Pyaza at home the very next weekend. My room mate had approved it with a beaming smile, and I knew I had done justice to my memories of this chicken goodness.That was then, and now a few years down the line, with loads of improvements,Do Pyaza is totally up my alley now.
After doing my groceries, a few days back, the bag of onions gave me the idea, to re-create Do-Pyaza. While this is a preparation which can be done with any proteins, I usually stick to Chicken. Old habits die hard, after all. I used the bone-in pieces as they tend to be tastier in gravies. While the highlight of this recipe is Onions, the drawback of this recipe(according to some) also relates to Onions.The amount of onions one needs to chop in making Do-Pyaza. No wonder, my cousin never makes this at home, given her apathy towards chopping onions. For me, the case is a bit different. I have a thing for Red Onions, and usually stick to it, while cooking Indian food. Its like an unspoken bond between red onions and Indian recipes. The same can never be said about the white or the yellow onions, which are definitely much sweeter. My only problem is that,Onions become like spinach when they hit the oil,in terms of wilting. Maybe this is my misconception, or maybe not.So one has to add a bit more, when they reduce in volume greatly.So load up on Red Onions, your choice of protein and some dry spices and serve up Do-Pyaza.
CHICKEN DO-PYAZA:
Ingredients:
Onions, onions and more onions:
Red Onion: 3 large: Cut in slivers
Chicken: 1 whole, cut into medium sized pieces.
Ginger paste: 1 tbsp
Garlic paste: 1tbsp
Coriander Powder: 1tbsp
Black Pepper Powder: 1tsp
Black Pepper whole: around 10
Red Chili Powder: 1/2 tsp(adjust according to heat preferences)
Yogurt: 1/2cup: beaten
Canola Oil: 5-6 tbsp
Procedure:
Marinate the chicken in the beaten yogurt for at least an hour.
In a large pan, add around 3tbsp of oil, and add half the onion slivers. Fry them till they turn translucent.
Once the colour of the onions start to change, add in the minced chilies and ginger-garlic. Fry them a bit, till you get the aroma of the spices, but they dont get burnt.
Add in the marinated chicken, the dry spices and black peppercorns, and mix everything very well.
Cook uncovered for around 5 minutes or so, on medium high heat, stirring frequently.
Meanwhile fry the rest of the onion slivers in another pan and drain them on paper towels. Cover and cook the chicken till it is almost 3/4th done. Then add in the fried onions and mix well. The Do-Pyaza connect !!!
Cover and cook till the chicken is done and the gravy has almost dried up. Serve with rotis or steamed rice.
Enjoy !!!!
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