Chicken Curry with Apricots and Potato Straws – Salli Marghee Jardaloo
Salli Marghee Jardaloo, is a Parsee Style Chicken Curry with Apricots. This dish is something I re-discovered when culling together class menus. It is sweet, gently spiced and savory. The flavors are different from the typical pre-conceptions of Indian food. At least in the US anyway. Granted this is a little off the beaten path. But nonetheless a classic curry.
About Salli Margee Jardaloo
The name is literally as it sounds. If you understand the words. So, salli refers to the thin potato straws, that are used to finish the dish. It is a classic Parsee garnish, also used for ground meat. Marghee refers to chicken and jardallo is apricots. So hence the name. This chicken curry is sweet (from the brown sugar), tangy (from the vinegar), fruity (from the apricots) and just a little spicy. In short, a flavor party.
My Story About Chicken Curry with Apricots
My favorite part about the dish is the salli or the potato straws that finish it. I have vague memories as a child enjoying these at our neighbor’s house in Mumbai. She always saved some extra for me on the side. Back in the day my spice tolerance was low so, I missed out on a lot of good things.
I have tried this with cubed tofu and it definitely makes an acceptable substitute. In fact, it magically translates this dish to vegan. With all the varied taste palates in my household, I have become the queen of protein flexing. Is that even a term? Well, it is now.
I often think of this as a cooler weather dish as that is when we are down without too many fresh staples and rely of pantry staples, dried apricots are certainly one of those for me. If you like chicken with these sweet and tart flavors, this Apricot Chutney Glazed Roast Chicken might be fun for you.
When in season, one of my daughter’s favorite go to recipes is this apricot and strawberry salsa.
I had tried other things like adding fresh peaches to this recipe. On occasion adding a splash of coconut milk. Both of these variations work as substitutions. But the original is really where my heart is at.
How to Enjoy this Chicken Curry with Potato Straws
Honestly, for me this has festive celebration written all over it for me. Left to me I would go all out, and make a flavorful pilaf, comforting lentils and a side of greens to balance the colors and flavors of this dish.
A simple mild, sweet and sour dish that makes a great dish for company. This makes for an elegant presentation.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons mild vinegar, such as cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 pound chicken thighs, cut into smaller pieces
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger
- 1 tablespoon grated garlic
- 1/4 cup oil such as canola oil
- 2 onions, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 1/2 teaspoon red cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1/4 cup pureed tomatoes
- 1/4 cup diced dried apricots
- 1 large russet potato, peeled and cut into thin matchstick thickness
- Oil for frying
- salt to finish
Instructions
- Stir the vinegar, brown sugar, and salt with the tomato paste until the sugar is dissolved. Toss the chicken in this mixture with the ginger and the garlic and set aside for 20 to 30 minutes. You can do this while doing the rest of the prep.
- Heat the oil and add in the onions and cook the onions for about 6 minutes, until the onions soften, wilt and begin to turn pale golden.
- Add in the chicken mixture and the salt and cook for about 5 to 7 minutes until the chicken is well coated with the tomato mixture.
- Add in the garam masala, cayenne pepper and the pureed tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Add in about ¼ cup of water and the apricots and cook for 5 more minutes.
- Turn off the heat and sprinkle with the cilantro.
- To make the potatoes, the potato straws need to be soaked in ice cold water for about 30 minutes. You can do this while the chicken is cooking.
- Drain and dry the potato straws thoroughly. This can be done on paper towels.
- Heat the frying oil in a medium sized pan. Add the potatoes and fry on medium heat until crisp and golden.
- Drain on paper towels and gently sprinkle with salt. Add to the chicken curry just before serving.
Notes
To make the dish flow in an efficient timeline, you should first marinade the chicken and then cut the potatoes and soak them in water. This allows you to continue with the prep and the potatoes will finish soaking while the chicken curry is done. So yes, all off this will take a bit of time, but this is a great curry for that special moment.