Remove fat from the chicken. salt and pepper the chicken. Sprinklewith chili powder. Add yogurt and mix well till the chicken is coveredliberally with yogurt. Use your hands. Set aside for 1 hour beforecooking. If kept in the refrigerator, set aside for at least 4 hours.
Heat oil in a large heavy pan. When oil is hot, add mustard seeds ifusing mustard seeds. Add cloves, cardamom, and coriander seeds. Fry for30 seconds.
Add the onion and fry for two minutes till onion beings to turn. Lowerheat to medium.
Add the ginger garlic paste and fry for 4 6 minutes.
Add mustard powder if using powder, add garam masala, add cuminpowder.
Brush excess yogurt off the chicken and put in a large pot. Addingredients from frying pan. Cook uncovered over high heat for 4minutes.
Reduce heat to low and cover. Cook for 25 minutes or till thechicken is tender, stirring every 5 minutes.
Important note: When chicken is cooked with a cover on the pot, itreleases water that becomes a part of the sauce. If after 10minutes, there isn't enough sauce in the pot, add quarter cup water.
Conversely if there is too much liquid in the pot, cook uncoveredtill the liquid evaporates.
Variations There are several variations to the above recipe:
Leave out the yogurt. Add quarter cup of water just before turning theheat to low and covering the pot.
Boil two potatoes for 10 minutes before slicing them thinly. Addpotatoes into the pot when you start cooking the chicken.
This variation is usually called 'Malai Chicken' or literally'creamy' chicken. Leave out the yogurt. When the chicken is 0.75done, add one small can of tomato paste. Just before removing adda small carton of whipping cream and cook for a few minutes.