Jalfrezi BIR Recipe

Originating in Bengal, Jalfrezi is a very popular dish around the Indian subcontinent and further afield. The word Jalfrezi translates to hot fry. With a thick and spicy sauce containing onions, peppers and green chillies this is a fairly hot curry full of wonderful flavour which I’m going to show you how to make right here!

This Jalfrezi BIR recipe is simple to follow, the key (as with all curries really) is to have all the prep ready so you’re not faffing around trying to weigh and chop ingredients or measures spices. This should all be done in advance to keep the cooking process quick and easy.

Curry dish containing Chicken Jalfrezi BIR recipe

Jalfrezi BIR recipe Ingredients

  • 3 tbsp Vegetable Oil
  • 1/2 Medium Brown Onion
  • 1/4 Red Pepper
  • 1/4 Green Pepper
  • 1 tbsp Garlic and Ginger Paste
  • 1 1/2 tsp Curry Powder
  • 3/4 tsp Chilli Powder
  • 1/4 tsp Garam Masala
  • tsp Tandoori Masala
  • 1 tsp Kasuri Methi (Fenugreek Leaves)
  • 2 tbsp Tomato Puree
  • 3-4 Green Finger Chillies
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
  • Pre-Cooked meat of your choice of vegetables
  • 3 Wedges of Tomato
  • 250mL Base Gravy
  • 1 tbsp Chopped Coriander

Method

Start by prepping the onion and peppers. Peel and cut the onion in half. Then, each half cut into 4 chunks and separate the layers of onion. Put these to one side in a bowl or container.  Now cut the peppers into chunks similar size to the onion pieces and put them in the same container.

Measure out the curry powder, tandoori masala, chilli powder, garam masala, kasuri methi and salt. Put all these in a cup to use later as they are added at the same time.

Measure out the garlic and ginger paste as well as the tomato puree and leave separately on a small plate. 

Like it spicy? Then slice the green chillies in half lengthways and leave to one side. Leave whole if you don’t want it too spicy.

Heat up the base gravy in a pan. Adding it hot prevents heat loss when cooking the curry.

Now everything is measured out we are ready to begin cooking!

Heat the oil in your pan to a very high heat and add the onion and peppers. Stir then now and then so they don’t burn but leave them long enough to brown slightly. Once browned, turn the heat down to medium and add the garlic and ginger paste. Fry for around 30 seconds whilst stirring. It’s very important not to burn this (if you do this will result in a bitter taste in your curry). 

Now add the curry powder, tandoori masala, chilli powder, garam masala, kasuri methi, and salt. Fry for another 30 seconds stirring often to avoid burning. It’s worth adding a small amount (25ml or so) of water to assure the spices don’t burn. 

Add the tomato puree along with around 50ml of base gravy, the fresh chillies and tomato wedges. Stir in well and fry until you see the oil separating.

Now we are going to build up the sauce gradually by adding more base gravy. Add half the remaining base gravy. Stir in and leave to cook. It’s tempting to stir it but DON’T! Leave it until you see small craters forming around the edge and it looks like it’s about to burn. This is the caramelisation process happening. Stir it and scrape the sides to get all the tasty bits mixed back in, they contain loads of flavour! Add the remaining base gravy along with the meat or vegetables and chopped coriander. Again, stir it then leave it! Stir it only once little craters have formed and you think it’s about to burn. Let the sauce reduce down to your desired thickness. Taste and add more salt if you feel it’s needed.

If you have left it to thicken a bit too much add a little more base gravy to thin out the sauce. Serve and garnish with a fresh chilli on top along with a little more chopped coriander.