*PC Muchi Chicken Curry

*PC Muchi Chicken Curry with Smashing Cauliflower, mango chutney, and curd

* Pressure cooker. (You can prepare this dish without pressure by simmering at boiling point for about three times as long as the pressure cooker in step 14.)

The Ingredients (for 6 servings):

• 200 g (or 1 cup) of chana dal
• 4 large cloves of garlic, weighing approximately 20 g (or ¾ oz)
• a piece of ginger root weighing approximately 20 g (or ¾ oz)
• a piece of turmeric root weighing approximately 15 g (or ½ oz)
• 8 g (or 1 teaspoon) of salt
• 1.5 g (or ½ teaspoon) of Cayenne pepper
• 2 g (or 1 teaspoon) of paprika
• 1 lb of curly kale
• 450 g (or 1 lb) of medium size carrots
• 2 onions, weighing approximately 550 g (or 1¼ lb)
• 5 g (or ½ tablespoon) of whole cumin seed
• 12 g (or 2 tablespoons) of curry powder (my current favorite is muchi style)
• 6 g (or 2 tablespoons) of ground coriander seed
• 1.3 kg (or 3 lb) of chicken drumsticks
• a 400-g (or 14-oz) can of diced tomatoes, or the equivalent prepared from fresh tomatoes
• cooking grade olive oil

The Method:

1. At least 5 hours before serving the curry, place the chana dal in a medium mixing bowl and pour in water to cover the dal by 3 inches.
2. When you are ready to start cooking, first grind together (or grate and mix together) the garlic, ginger, turmeric, and salt to make a pungent paste.
   
3. Next, in a small bowl or saucer, mix together the Cayenne, the paprika, and 30 ml (or 2 tablespoons) of water to make a spicy paste. (Ground chili may be substituted for Cayenne pepper if you prefer it.)
4. Wash the kale and cut the stem out of each leaf. Discard the stems and put the kale aside.
   
5. Peel the carrots, wash them, and chop them into bite-size pieces
6. Peel the onions and cut them into thin slices or small cubes.
7. Heat a small amount of olive oil in the bottom of the pressure cooker.
8. Add the onions and cumin seeds, and sauté them over medium-high heat until the onions start to brown.
9. Add the pungent paste from Step 2, spicy paste from Step 3, curry powder, and coriander powder and stir vigorously for 1 minute.
   
10. Add the chicken drumsticks and continue to stir until they are coated with the spices and the skin is beginning to look seared.
11. Add the tomatoes, kale, and carrot to the cooker, and 250 ml (or 1 cup) of water.
12. Drain the dal, rinse it in the sieve, then add it to the mixture in the pan.
    
13. Stir everything together, scraping up any spices that may be sticking on the bottom of the pan.
14. Place the lid on the pressure cooker and, following the manufacturer's instructions, cook the curry at high pressure for 15 minutes (100 kPa, or 15 psi).