Mummy’s tip
Reserve the chicken cooking liquid. It carries flavour into the saak and ties both stages together.
Weeknight
Chicken Saak
East African chicken curry
Another fond memory I have is a staple in any East-African home: Chicken Saak. There are countless happy memories of sitting around the table with my family with a pot of chicken saak and rice or maanis (rotlis).
Total time1 hr 30 minConfidenceComfortableOriginal recipe2014
from the family albumSay it
Chicken Saak
CHICK-en SAH-k
Make it yours
- Leave the chicken on the bone, cube it or shred it after poaching.
- Serve with rice, naan, maani or rotli.
At the family table
Chicken Saak is a family-table staple, traditionally passed around with rice or maani so everyone can help themselves.
Make
Let’s cook
Directions
- 01
Combine above ingredients in a pot
- 02
Pour cold water
- 03
Boil over medium heat until chicken is 2/3 cooked
- 04
Remove chicken and let cool (options with chicken: shred, cube, or leave on bone)
- 05
Strain 3 cups of your boiling liquid and reserve for saak
Directions
- 01
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat
- 02
Sauté onion and curry leaf until golden brown
- 03
Add crushed tomatoes, dhanna jero, garlic, ginger, salt, and turmeric
- 04
Let the tomatoes and spices cook for 5 minutes then add tomato paste
- 05
Add 3 cups reserved liquid
- 06
Let the mixture merry together over medium heat
- 07
Add potato cubes and chicken
- 08
Once the chicken is cooked, a dd garam masala and chopped coriander leaves/stems
- 09
Let it come to a boil, then simmer for 1 hour
- 10
Place in a nice bowl and take a picture (like below)
At the table
Serve with rice or naan or maani/rotli
Keep cooking
