Chicken Cafrael – A Goan Portugese delish

Hey there…I got myself a new fry pan…non stick of course…ones that have ridges in them so that the end result looks like the grill with those brown lines. Don’t u agree…what tastes good should look good. After all it is the visual and the sensory feeling that assails us before the taste buds do their job???

Enough of this banter…now lets go to the Cafrael…created by the Africans , handled by the Portuguese and adapted by our very own Goa. This is a melt in the mouth recipe and does enough to flare up all the senses….so here goes…

1)Boneless Chicken Breasts – 500 gms …I used this u can use regular boned chicken pieces

2) Coriander Leaves – a big bunch

3) Green Chillies – I used 4 but u can control your spice levels

4) Potato – One Large

5) Garam Masala – 1 tsp

6) Coriander Powder – 2 tsp.

7) Salt – To Taste

8) Juice of one large lemon

Marinade : Grind together the Coriander leaves , Green Chillies , Garam Masala , Coriander Powder , Salt , Lemon Juice to a fine paste . Apply this fairly evenly on to the chicken including the cuts that you made on the chicken and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Take the Potato and slice it into circles with the skin on…as fine slices as you possibly can with a knife. Let them be rough…makes it amateurish and natural

Method:

Take the fry pan ( I used my new pan) …lightly coat the insides with butter and allow it to become hot a bit. Then drop the marinated pieces of Chicken on it giving a bit of space between the pieces. Don’t crowd it….you can always do the rest after you finish the first lot. Now on a medium flame allow the chicken to cook. The juices from the marinade and the chicken will run out and help the cooking . Keep turning the Chicken over every 2 minutes so that you get a nice brown crust on the chicken…light to medium dark brown…dont burn it. There is more cooking of the chicken to be done so don’t worry. After the chicken becomes nicely brown…ad a little water to the jar where you ground your marinade and use the remaining marinade with the little water and pour it over the chicken. Drop a small piece of butter / a tsp of coconut oil on it.

Now cover the chicken and allow it to cook until it is done to your satisfaction. The best way to check if the chicken is done is to take a piece on the ladle and use a blunt spoon to try and cut it…if it cuts smoothly it is well done. Chicken as a rule should be cooked well to prevent any existence of the Salmonella virus which can make you really sick.

Now transfer this on to your plate and arrange it nicely on the center in a mound.

Now in the same pan add a small bit of butter and swirl it around so that it covers the pan. Leave the rest of the masalas on the pan…no need to take a fresh pan. Now drop the sliced potatoes on the pan while rubbing each slice in the remaining leftover marinade on the pan ( why waste it??) Sprinkle salt on the potato slices and brown it well on both sides…brown not burn. Arrange these around the Chicken mound in the center.

Garnish the dish with finely cut coriander leaves…or  some tomato sauce in random patterns or whatever else you feel makes the dish looks good. You may also squeeze a bit of lemon on the chicken and the potatoes or sprinkle some lemon zest.

Calories in 500 gms of Chicken Cafrael is 620….Proteins are 110 gms and Carbs are a measly 8 gms. Break it up into 2 or 3 servings to make it a healthy meal each time.