Long ago, I heard that a touch of tomato ketchup makes everything better. I didn’t believe it until I tasted a particular dish that changed my perception forever. I was a teenager at the time, and we were invited to dinner at my mother’s friend’s house. This aunt was one of my favorite people, and that day she served us Ketchup Chicken. We loved it so much that my mom asked for the recipe. Ma then cooked it over a weekend, and upon our requests, she continued to make it on various occasions. Soon, the entire family—cousins, relatives, everyone—ended up loving it, and the recipe was shared from one household to another. The humble Ketchup Chicken became popular in the family. In our Bengali household, this dish was more commonly known as “Sauce er Chicken”. However, over time, as we grew older and began exploring and cooking many different chicken recipes, we gradually forgot about this one dish.
Recently, I think from last year I started cooking it, revisiting it in my kitchen was truly nostalgic. My daughter tasted it for the first time and loved it so much. Her reaction was, “Why didn’t you cook this for me before?”
This recipe is inspired by Indo-Chinese cuisine but has unique twists. It’s distinct and offers a different flavour experience that you must try making as soon as possible. I would love to hear about your experience if you try the recipe, so please let me know how it turned out in your kitchen. 🙂
Use Good quality Tomato Ketchup for the best experience
Selecting a preservative-free and wholesome tomato ketchup is the best option for this dish. While you can choose any brand you prefer, I typically make this chicken recipe using this ketchup, and it always turns out great. Back in the 90s, my mother would only cook Ketchup Chicken with Maggi Tomato Ketchup, as it was her favourite brand.
90s Ketchup Chicken
A nostalgic 90s chicken recipe, this delicious Ketchup Chicken was a favourite part of our childhood.
Ingredients
- 900g- Chicken (curry cut pieces)
- 2- Onion (medium-sized)
- 10-12 cloves- Garlic (chopped)
- 5- Green chillies (chopped)
- ¾ tbsp- Ginger paste
- Salt to taste
- ½ cup + 2 tbsp- Tomato ketchup
- 1 tsp- White vinegar
- 1 tsp- Black soy sauce
- Water as required
- 3½ tbsp- Vegetable oil
- ½ tsp- Turmeric powder
- ½ tsp- Sugar
- ½ tsp- Black pepper powder
- ½ tsp- Garam masala powder
Instructions
-
Peel the onions and cut into slices, keep aside.
-
Heat oil in a deep frying pan/kadai, add the sliced onions, sauté until light brown in colour.
-
Next, add the chopped garlic, and chillies, sauté for a few seconds.
-
Add ginger paste, and chicken pieces, mix well, and cook covered over medium heat until the chicken gets half-cooked, keep stirring in-between.
-
Add hot water as needed to achieve your desired consistency for the curry; it should be medium-thick, not runny. I added ½ cup of water, which was sufficient since the chicken also releases its own juices during cooking.
-
Add the sugar, black pepper powder, and garam masala powder towards the end of cooking. Sugar needs to be added to balance the overall flavours of all the ingredients, it wouldn’t make the dish sweet. Continue cooking over low heat uncovered for 2-3 minutes more.
-
Remove from the heat, and transfer the delicious Ketchup Chicken to a bowl.
-
Serve hot with steamed rice, or fried rice, enjoy!
Leave a Reply