• 2 ½ to 3 lb/1.2 to 1.4 kg skinless bone-in chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces 

 • 15 whole Kashmiri chillies 

 • 12 whole cloves

 • 10 to 12 garlic cloves/total weight about 30 to 35 g 

 • 2 in/5 cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and diced 

 • 1 in/2.5 cm cinnamon stick 

 • 1 tsp whole black peppercorns 

 • ½ tsp ground cumin

 • ¾ cup/180 ml malt or apple cider vinegar

 • ½ cup/120 ml water 

 • 1 tsp ground turmeric 

 • 3 Tbsp/45 ml neutral oil, such as grapeseed 

 • 2 large red onions/total weight about 800 g, diced 

 • Fine sea salt 

 • 1 tsp sugar

 Instructions: 

  • Pat the chicken dry and transfer to a large mixing bowl. 

  • Grind the Kashmiri chillies, cloves, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, peppercorns, cumin, vinegar, and water together in a high-speed blender to get a smooth paste. Add the spice paste to the chicken with 1 tsp of salt. Fold to coat well and leave covered for 30 minutes at room temperature.

  • While the chicken marinates in the vinegar spice mixture, cook the onions. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a medium Dutch oven or non-reactive thick heavy-bottomed stainless-steel saucepan. Add the onions with a tiny pinch of salt and sauté until they turn light brown. The cooking time will vary. If the onions start to burn, add a tablespoon or two of water. Fold in the marinated chicken with the marinade. Stir in the turmeric and sugar. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover with a lid, and occasionally stir to prevent the chicken from sticking to the bottom of the pot and burning. Cook until the chicken turns tender, opaque, and thoroughly cooked. If the liquid levels drop during cooking, add a few tablespoons of water.