Meet Our Mothers recipe – Nabeel and Nasreen’s Chicken Masala
Discover the recipe for Nasreen’s famous Chicken Masala.
Published: November 28, 2024
Nabeel and his mum, Nasreen, share the recipe for this traditional Pakistani dish as part of Meet Our Mothers, our celebration of Bradford’s food heritage.
Meet Our Mothers is a brand-new cookbook launching as part of Bradford UK City of Culture 2025, featuring a special collection of treasured family recipes from across the Bradford District and brought together by artist Deepa Mann-Kler.
If you have a cherished recipe that holds special memories, head to the submission information at the bottom of the page, for the chance to have it included in the Meet our Mothers cookbook.
As part of the project, we spent the day with Nabeel and his mum, Nasreen, at their family home in Shipley, where they taught us how to cook Nasreen’s famous Chicken Masala – a traditional Pakistani dish. Here’s what they had to say…
Nabeel: “To be honest, we don’t cook together that often; we cook occasionally but the kitchen is very much mum’s domain. She’s in charge! She tells me what to do and I do it. Today, we’re going to be cooking mum’s Chicken Masala.”
Nasreen: (translated Punjabi) “My mum taught me in Pakistan before I arrived here. I was 16 years old when my mum first taught me how to cook. She didn’t teach me fully but after I got married and came here (to the UK), my mother-in-law also taught me. Then, I fully was able to cook everything, nicely, for all the family. It doesn’t matter how many of us there are – I’ll do it. I can cook everything; rice, meat, sweet dishes, everything.”
Nabeel: “It’s (Chicken Masala) always been a staple of Pakistani cuisine. It’s quite traditional and not too complex a dish. It’s quite easy to make and it’s just a family favourite.”
Nasreen: (translated Punjabi) “Everybody likes it, that’s why I make it because it’s a Pakistani dish. Pakistani people all like eating curry and chapatti.”
“The spices I put in the Chicken Masala are red and green chillies, paprika, haldi (turmeric), sookha dhaniya (dried coriander), jeera (cumin), kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves), and garam masala. If they like more spice, I’ll add more. If they like less, I’ll put in less mircha (chillies). I have my own idea of measurements and I use a teaspoon but I’ll know how much to put. Once it’s all cooked, I garnish it with coriander, green chillies and a little bit of sliced ginger – then it’ll look nice.”
Nabeel: “I would say it’s quite spicy. For others it might be a bit too spicy but for us it’s just the right amount. We’d normally serve it with chapattis or boiled rice.”
Nasreen: (translated Punjabi) “I make it once a week and it lasts for 2 or 3 days.”
Recipe - Make Nabeel and Nasreen's Chicken Masala
Ingredients:
- Vegetable or rapeseed oil
- 1kg chicken breast, cubed
- 3 medium onions, chopped
- 1 garlic bulb, peeled
- 1 inch cube of ginger
- 1 can chopped tomatoes
- 5 green chillies
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon dried coriander
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1/4 teaspoon nigella seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
You will need:
- Chopping board
- Blender
- Wok
Serves: 5
Instructions:
1. Pour a thin layer of oil into the wok
2. Add in chopped onions and cook on high heat
3. Add salt and reduce to medium heat once onions turn golden brown
4. Add enough water to cover onions and cook until they turn soft
5. Blend garlic, ginger and green chillies into a paste
6. Add the paste and chopped tomatoes to the onions
7. Add the spices
8. Cook for 10 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken
9. Stir in the chicken breast and place the lid over the wok
10. Cook for 15-20 minutes until the water from the chicken has evaporated
11. Add 2 cups of water and cook on low heat for a further 20 minutes, stirring occasionally
12. Garnish with coriander, green chillies and sliced ginger to taste
13. Serve with boiled rice or chapatti
Send us your recipe using the link below no later than Sunday 9 December. We’ll then choose 10 recipes to be included in Meet Our Mothers, an interactive cookbook featuring 50 Bradford recipes due to be published in autumn 2025.
