Chicken Stroganoff

The source of this recipe is kind courtesy Vivek Ahluwalia, who is the food services manager at the American Embassy School. He  turned out an amazing array of delectable dishes for the school lunch program and I was lucky enough to get a few recipes out of him.I love the rhapsody of the creamy tomato sauce with the chicken and mushrooms served over the garlicky  flavored pasta.Simple to make but absolutely delightful in taste.

Ingredients

400 gms chicken - boiled and shredded 

2 cups chicken stock (save the chicken stock when you boil the chicken)

4 tbsp  butter

1 small onion chopped

3 tbsp plain flour

3 - 4 flakes of garlic crushed

1 cup pureed tomatoes (boiled,skinned and pureed)

3/4 cup cream or 3 tbsp thick yogurt

250 gms mushrooms (cut into two halves)

1 capsicum - cut into 1/2 " cubes

1 tsp dried mixed herbs

Method

Heat butter in a large skillet.Saute the finely chopped onions and garlic for a few minutes till the onions are transparent.

Add the flour to the onions and stir for 2-3 minutes till the flour is lightly browned.

Next, add the chicken stock and the chicken pieces.Cook  for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally  till the sauce is slightly thickened.

Now add the pureed tomatoes, bring them to a boil, then simmer covered for 8-10 minutes.

In a separate pan, stir fry the capsicum and mushrooms in a little oil and add it to the above sauce.

Add the salt and pepper and the dried mixed herb. Check for taste.

Whip the cream well and blend it to the warm sauce till smooth. For all those health conscious people, you can substitute the cream with beaten yogurt.

Turn the heat off.

Serve hot with rice or pasta. (I usually serve it with pasta stir fried with crushed garlic and chilli flakes).