This is one of my favorite dishes to order at Pakistani restaurants. For those of you whose exposure to Pakistani food is through Indian restaurants, you are truly missing out. You don’t usually find this dish on the menu because of the meat and with a name like Frontier, it is really from the northern, mountainous area of Pakistan (North-West Frontier province) which is more towards Afghanistan. So you really need to get yourself over to a Pakistani restaurant to check this gem out.

The original recipe had a few extraneous ingredients that I felt didn’t added anything to the overall flavor of the dish. They were things like banana, flour, and white pepper. I also had to adjust the amount of turmeric. The recipe originally called for a teaspoon, but the turmeric really overwhelmed the dish. I’ve adjusted the amount below to keep the aroma and color, but have less of that eye-twitching bite.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs skinless, boneless Chicken breasts or thighs (cubed)
• 1/4 cup Canola Oil
• 1 1/2 cups Onion (finely sliced)
• 1/2 of each: Yellow, Red, and Green Bellpeppers (sliced into strips)
• 2 cups Chicken Broth/Stock
• 1 tbsp Garlic Paste
• 2 tbsp Ginger Paste
• 2 Serano Chilies (finely sliced)
• 2 large Tomatoes (medium dice)
• 1/4 cup Cilantro
• 3 dried whole Chilies

For the masala:

• 2 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Chili powder
• 1 tsp Cumin seeds
• 1 tsp Garlic powder
• 1 tsp ground Ginger
• 1 tsp dry Mustard
• 1 tsp whole Black Pepper
• 1 tsp whole Cardamom
• 1 tsp Coriander seeds
• 1 tsp Fenugreek seeds
• 1 tsp dried Onion flakes
• 3/4 tsp ground Tumeric

What to do

First we’ll make the masala. Grind all of the whole spices: Cumin, Black Pepper, Chilies, Cardamom, Coriander, Fenugreek, and Onion. Next mix in the rest of the masala spices.

 

Using three-quarters of the masala, rub it into the chicken pieces. You may want to use a plastic glove to do this or thoroughly wash your hands afterwards to get the Turmeric off your skin. (My palms were yellowy for a day.)

Prep your veggies, that’s the Onions, Bellpeppers, Serano Chilies, and Tomatoes. After this point things are gonna happen fast.

In a pot, heat the Canola Oil over medium heat. Sear the chicken until it’s brown on both sides. Remove from pot.

 

Add the Onions, Bellpeppers, Serano Chilies, Garlic paste, Ginger paste, along with the reserved masala. Stir to keep from sticking and burning. ~10 min.

Toss in the Dried Chilies, Tomatoes, Broth, and Chicken. Bring to a boil. Then allow to simmer for another 10 minutes. The liquid will reduce, but keep it simmering if you want a drier curry.

 

Garnish with Cilantro. Serve with Basmati rice or hot naan.

Enjoy!