This is going to be your new favourite!

We are all familiar with the plethora of Indo-Chinese grub available in our country- from the ubiquitous chilli chicken to the recently popular crispy chilli babycorn- all incredibly delicious and witness to the beautiful way the two cuisines can amalgamate to create unique flavours. Feeding on such inspiration I crafted this recipe of succulent chicken with the mouth puckering taste of tamarind mellowed by sweet jaggery, in a moody dark gravy owing to a generous dash of soy and fish sauce. Serve with fluffy rice and stuff your mouth with it.

Dark chicken with tamarind and jaggery

Soak tamarind pulp in water for an hour. Strain; add grated jaggery to the paste. Mix together (chopped garlic + sliced onion + sliced scallions + sliced green chilly + tamarind jaggery paste + vegetable oil + star anise + cinnamon) in a bowl. Add skinless on-the-bone chicken pieces to the marinade. Leave for 3 hours. Heat wok; tip in the chicken with the marinade. Cook on a high heat for 10 minutes. Add (dark soy + fish sauce) and simmer covered until chicken is tender. Scatter chopped cilantro over it. Serve with steamed rice.