Himalayan Cuisine Series: Bhutanese-Inspired Spicy Chicken Stew (Inspired by Jasha Maroo)

Christmas Eve 2017. It was a cold rainy winter night. Not only was it miserable outside, but we were equally miserable. Both Hubby and I were both sick with a bad cold. Not a happy household… I was recovering, but I gave the cold to my husband.

Fortunately, I was well enough to go to the store and get provisions. I was just thinking chicken noodle soup, but then I remembered the recipe for Bhutanese Chicken Stew. I saw that recipe when I was collecting recipes for Thanksgiving. The recipe was easy enough that I can prepare it for the night. Being a stew, I imagine the prep was not too bad, esp. for a recovering sick person.

We also still have onions, tomatoes, ginger and garlic – perhaps because Hubby made chicken soup the other day for me when I was at my worst. I just bought chicken, chilis, cilantro and more chicken stock to add to the dish. I believe this dish was not meant to be brothy, but hey… I need soup too.

Since I was more a dish that I prepared almost “on the fly” and when I was recovering, I really do not have much intro… I just wanted soup and had inspiration. So, here’s what I have for now. Let me know what you think.

Bhutanese-Inspired Spicy Chicken Stew

Inspired by Jasha Maroo

Based on https://whattocooktoday.com/bhutanese-spicy-chicken-stew-jasha-maroo.html

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 medium-size leek, cut into slices
• 1 large tomato, diced
• 1/2 onion, peeled and chopped
• 4 cloves garlics, peeled finely minced
• 2 Tbsp of ginger, finely minced
• 4 chili peppers, seeded if you like and cut into small pieces
• Salt to taste
• 3 cups chicken stock (use less, if you don’t need that much broth)
• 2 Tbsp of oil
• 1 small bunch of cilantro leaves, for garnish
• lime or lemon slices (optional, for garnish)

Directions

1. Preheat pot and add in oil. Add in the garlic, ginger, onion, chili, and leeks. Stir-fry until the vegetables are soft (I add a bit salt and pepper at this point to sweat the vegetables).
2. Tip in the chicken and tomatoes and continue to stir-fry until the chicken started to turn opaque in color (I add a bit of seasoning here too).
3. Pour in the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cover with the lid and let it gently simmer until the chicken is cooked through.
4. Serve warm with a bowl of steamed rice. Garnish the stew with cilantro leaves. Add a squeeze of lime or lemon for a touch of freshness.

Verdict

I love this dish, love the simplicity and spiciness of the stew. It is very characteristic of the cuisine of Bhutan.

I could not call it Jasha Maroo because Jasha Maroo usually uses red peppers (I found out after looking at Instagram – doh!). I used green because those red peppers looked threatening. I also made this stew extra brothy on purpose because of the cold night. Traditionally, the recipe only uses 1 cup of broth. I think I stopped myself from pouring the entire container.

In subsequent servings, I did my “thing” of adding lemon or lime during serving. This really adds a touch of freshness and citrus note to soups or stews, since they usually cook for a while (I think this took about an hour, maybe a touch more).  I think of it as the “Asian” gremolata (without the mincing). Adding lime did add some Southeast Asian notes to it… but hey, it’s one big world.