Punjabi Chicken Curry

It's almost end of November, can't believe another year is almost gone. My current city, Kolkata has not cooled down yet, but there is a chill in the air during early morning and evening time. During this time, what I crave for is warm soup and spicy food. And my crave for spicy food forced me to think of some spicy Chicken dish one Saturday evening. And when I crave spicy food, what cuisine I prefer, is my beloved Punjabi cuisine. To satisfy my cravings, I created a recipe combining two recipes I knew and made up a new one, which totally surprised me in a good way. The end result was not so spicy but finger-licking delicious and flavorful Punjabi chicken curry, which totally satisfied my spicy taste bud. So thought to write down my experimental recipe for my future reference before I forget and also share with you all at the same time.

The recipe follows like this.............

You Need :
Chicken : 500 gm. (cut into medium pieces)
Onion : 2(big), cut into thin slices
Ginger-garlic paste : 3 tblsp.(make a smooth paste of 2" ginger piece and 6-7 big garlic cloves)
Tomatoes : 2(big), finely chopped
Turmeric powder : 2 tsp.
Red chilli powder : 2-3 tsp.(as per taste)
Coriander powder : 2 tsp.
Garam masala Powder : 2tsp.
Cashew Nut paste : 2 tblsp.
poppy seed paste : 1 tblsp.
Kasuri Methi(dried fenugreek leaves) : 2 tblsp.
Butter/Ghee(clarified/butter) : 1 tsp.(optional but recommended)
Salt to taste
Oil : 2-3 tblsp.

How To :

Cut chicken pieces in medium size pieces. Marinate them with 2 tblsp. ginger-garlic paste, 1 tblsp. kasuri methi and a pinch of salt. Keep aside for at least 1/2 an hour.
Heat oil in a pan, add sliced onion, saute till onions turn soft and brown. Add rest of the ginger-garlic paste and tomatoes. Saute for 1-2 minutes and then add marinated chicken pieces. Stir fry the chicken pieces for 3-4 minutes.
Now add turmeric powder, red chilli, coriander powder and mix well with chicken pieces. Then add cashew nut and poppy seed paste. Season with salt. Saute for 4-5 minutes or till oil seperates and spices are well cooked and mixed with chicken pieces.
Add just 3/4 cup of hot water and lower the heat and cover with a lid. When chicken are cooked and the gravy has nicely coated the chicken pieces, add garam masala powder and rest of the kasuri methi and 1 tsp. ghee for flavour. Cook for another minute.
Remove from heat and serve with naan/paratha or any Indian flatbread.