Chicken Chhoyala ~ Nepali Style Chicken Appetizer

Enjoy the cooking Aunty and missing your mind blowing Dosas! ~ Kirant

“Chhoyala” is a dish from the Newar community of Nepal  and is a very popular appetizer and served with Baji (beaten rice). Traditionally, Chhoyala is made with Buffalo meat, but it can also be made using chicken, duck , beef or pork.  There are two types of Chhoyala ~ “Mana” Chhoyala and “Haku” Chhoyala. Mana means “boiled” and Haku means “black”, and thus refers to meat cooked over fire. .

In a typical traditional recipe, the meat is cooked over fire made by using straw from rice or wheat. However to adjust the recipe to everyday home cooking, you can cook the meat over a charcoal grill or over a heated pan at home ( you will not get the smoky taste but it will still taste good). The boiled version “Mana Chhoyala” is also very tasty but most people prefer the grilled/ fired cooked version. Enjoy 🙂  Happy Cooking ! ~ Kamakshi

Prep Time : 20 mins                                                                      Cook Time : 25 mins
Serves : 6

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 kg Chicken, cut into small bite size pieces ( if you wish, you can also use boneless chicken)
  • 1 tbsp Chilli Powder
  • 1 tbsp Chilli Flakes
  • 1 tbsp Red Chilli Paste
  • 1 tbsp Cumin (Zeera) Powder
  • 2 tbsp Ginger Garlic Paste
  • 1/2 tsp Schewan Pepper (Timmur)
  • 1 tbsp Black Salt
  • 2-3 Stalks  Green Garlic Leaves ( substitute with Green onions if you cannot get green garlic leaves, but the green garlic leaves gives a better flavor)
  • 1 cup , Cilantro/ Coriander Leaves, chopped
  • 5-6 Green Chilles, sliced
  • 6-7 Pods Garlic, cut into thin julienne
  • 1″ Fresh Ginger, cut into thin julienne
  • 2 tbsp Lemon Juice ( Optional)
  • Salt to taste
For the Tempering:
  • 2 – 3 tbsp Mustard Oil
  • 1 tsp Fenugreek (Methi) seeds
  • 1 tsp Turmeric (Haldi) Powder

METHOD

Note : In this recipe, I have cooked the chicken over a pan, which is easy and convenient. However, one can also cook the meat in a charcoal grill or fire using a broiling rack.

  • Clean the chicken and cut into medium bite size pieces. Heat a non stick pan till it is really hot. Now add all the chicken pieces and cook it over high heat for about 10 mins on both sides till the chicken pieces are nicely cooked. If you are using a normal pan, then just add 1 tsp of oil so that the chicken does not stick to the pan.
  • In a big mixing bowl, add the chicken pieces and all the herbs and spices (except the ones for the tempering) and mix well.
  • Heat the mustard oil in the pan and add the fenugreek (methi) seeds. Fry for couple of seconds till the seeds turn dark brown. Switch of the heat, add the turmeric to the oil, mix and pour it over the chicken pieces. Mix well and set it aside for 10-15 mins.
  • Serve with beaten rice or as is.

Note : To make it more tastier,  you can also add chopped char grilled tomatoes 🙂