Indian cooking / Dishes / Chaar Magaz ka Murg

Chaar Magaz ka Murg

Chicken with Melon Seeds

Non-vegetarian●●●Origin HyderabadPrep 1 hour, plus soaking timeCook 1½ hours

A fragrant, gently simmered Mughlai chicken stuffed with an egg-and-onion filling and braised in a velvety gravy of melon seeds, poppy seeds, and delicate aromatics.

Poppy seeds

50 gSoaked in water before blending (step 1)

Poppy seed · Khus Khus

50 g6 tablespoons

spice

Soak in water for 2 to 3 hours, then drain thoroughly.

Saffron

0.3 gSteeped in hot water and added at the finish (step 6)

Saffron · Kesar

~0.3 gpinch

spice

Steep in 15 ml (1 tablespoon) of hot water until needed.

Aromatic spices for the paste

6 gBlended with the soaked seeds and nuts (step 4)

Green cardamom seed · Elaichi Dana

0.6–0.8 g8–10 pods

spice

Nutmeg · Jaiphalgrated

5 g1 nutmeg

spice

Clove · Laung

0.6 g9 cloves

spice

Add whole along with the grated nutmeg directly into the blender.

Everything else

Chicken · Murgh

1000 g

poultry

White bread · Double Rotiwithout crusts

100 g4 slices

grain

Milk · Doodh

129 g125 ml

dairy

Ghee

26 g2 tablespoons

oil/fat

Onion · Pyazchopped

150 g1 onion

vegetable

Hard-boiled egg · Ubla Andachopped

100 g2 eggs

egg

Salt · Namak

to taste

salt

Four-seed mix (melon, pumpkin, squash and watermelon) · Char Magaz See the glossary: Chaar magaz →

150 g

nut/seed

Blanched almond · Badam

45 g5 tablespoons

nut/seed

Ghee

50 g

oil/fat

Yogurt · Dahiwhisked

129 g125 ml

dairy

Screwpine water or rosewater · Kewra water or rosewater

~0.1–0.2 g2–3 drops

liquid

Salt · Namak

to taste

salt

Method

Place the poppy seeds and 150 g melon seeds into separate bowls, cover each with water, and let soak for 2 to 3 hours. In a separate small dish, steep the saffron in 15 ml (1 tablespoon) of hot water.
Soak 4 crustless slices of bread in 129 g milk for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, melt 26.4 g ghee in a wide, heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat, add 150 g chopped onion, and sauté for roughly 5 minutes until lightly coloured. Transfer the cooked onion to a bowl to cool.
Press the milk out of the soaked bread and combine it with the cooled onions, 2 chopped eggs, and salt to taste. Pack this mixture firmly inside the cavity of the 1000 g chicken.
Drain the soaked poppy seeds and melon seeds, then transfer them to a blender along with 5 tablespoons almonds and the aromatic spices for the paste. Blend to a fine paste, pouring in a splash of water if required to keep the blades moving.
Set the stuffed chicken into a large, heavy pot. Pour in the blended paste, 129 g whisked yogurt, 50 g ghee, salt to taste, and 500 ml (2 1/4 cups) water. Put the lid on and simmer over low heat for 1 1/2 hours until the chicken is tender and thoroughly cooked.
Stir in the soaked saffron with its liquid and 0.1–0.2 g kewra water or rosewater. Joint the chicken into pieces before serving if you prefer.

Don't have something?

Chicken

Turkey thigh
Use 100% of the weight, cut into equivalent bone-in or boneless pieces. Simmer for an extra 5 to 10 minutes; flavour and texture are very similar.
Lamb
Use 100% of the weight. Cut into bite-sized pieces and extend simmering time by 35 to 50 minutes, adding extra liquid to allow the meat to tenderise.

White bread

Bread slice
Use the same weight; remove crusts if the recipe wants soft crumb.
Bread
Use the same weight; adjust slices by weight, not count.
Bread roll
Use the same weight; it is denser and sweeter, so reduce sugar slightly and soak if making crumbs.

Milk

Whole milk
Use equal weight; provides the standard rich dairy fat and body expected in creamy Indian bases.
Single cream
Dilute 3 parts cream with 1 part water to match the weight; yields a richer, glossier gravy that resists curdling.
Plain yogurt
Whisk thoroughly and use equal weight; adds extra body and a mild pleasant acidity, best added off the heat.

Ghee

Unsalted butter
Use 120% of the weight; melt gently over low heat to avoid burning the milk solids, which will yield a softer, creamier richness rather than a nutty aroma.
Vegetable oil
Use 85% of the weight; holds high cooking temperatures without smoking, but the final dish will lack traditional dairy depth.
Mustard oil
Use equal weight; heat to smoking point and cool slightly before cooking, bearing in mind it introduces an assertive, pungent edge.

Onion

Shallot
Use equal weight, finely sliced. Shallots soften and brown faster, giving a slightly sweeter and more delicate base to curries.
Cabbage
Use 80% of the weight, finely shredded and browned slowly with a pinch of asafoetida. Replicates the bulk and natural sweetness in gravies without allium.

Hard-boiled egg

Egg
Use the same weight, about 50 g per egg. Boil 9–10 minutes, cool and peel; exact substitute.
Boiled egg white
Use the same weight. Leaner and less rich; mash with a little oil or yolk if the dish needs richness.
Tofu
Use the same weight; press and cube. No egg flavour, so add 5 minutes before the end and adjust salt.

Poppy seed

Cashew nut
Use equal weight. Soak in warm water for 20 minutes and grind to a smooth paste; produces an even creamier, slightly richer gravy than poppy seeds.
White sesame seed
Use equal weight. Soak and grind finely; provides similar thickening and body with a slightly nuttier, faintly bitter edge.
Almond
Use equal weight. Blanch, peel, and grind finely with a splash of water; lends a velvety body and gentle sweetness to gravies.

Char magaz

Melon seeds
Use the same weight; soak in warm water for 20 minutes, rub off any skins and grind. It is the main component, so the dish will be very close but slightly less rich.
Blanched almond
Use 75% of the weight; soak in warm water and grind to a paste. Adds a sweeter, nuttier thickness.
Cashew nut
Use 70% of the weight; soak and grind. Makes the gravy richer and creamier.

Saffron

Ground turmeric
Use 15% of the saffron's weight. Replicates the bright yellow colour well, but lacks the floral, earthy depth; use sparingly to avoid bitterness.
Screwpine water or rosewater
Use a few drops combined with a tiny pinch of ground turmeric to mimic both the regal floral aroma and the golden hue.

Blanched almond

Almond
Use the same weight; cover with hot water for 5 minutes, then slip off the skins.
Blanched split almond
Use the same weight; they are already peeled and split, so use whole or chop as needed.
Cashew nut
Use the same weight; soak in warm water before grinding. They are softer and richer, so the dish will be creamier.

Green cardamom seed

Green cardamom pod
Weigh roughly 2.5 times the seed requirement; crack pods open and discard the fibrous green husks.
Ground green cardamom
Use 75% of the weight; stir in off the flame or near the end of cooking to maintain its fragrance.

Nutmeg

Ground nutmeg
Use equal weight, or roughly 1/2 teaspoon for half a whole nutmeg. Stir in near the end of cooking as pre-ground loses aroma quickly.
Mace blade
Use about 70% of the weight, finely ground. Mace comes from the same fruit and provides a very similar but slightly lighter, more floral warmth.
Ground mace
Use equal weight. Delivers a slightly sharper, more delicate sweetness to rich kormas and biryanis.

Clove

Ground cloves
Use 1 g ground for 4 g whole (or 1 small pinch per 2 to 3 whole cloves). Add with spice powders; disperses intense warmth quickly, so use with restraint.
Allspice berries
Use 100% of the weight whole in tempering. Imparts a warm, clove-like aromatic profile combined with hints of nutmeg and cinnamon.
Black cardamom pod
Use 1 pod for 3 to 4 cloves in whole tempering. Shares a camphor-like warmth and medicinal depth, though it introduces a distinct smoky undertone.

Yogurt

Plain yogurt
Use 100% of the weight. Whisk thoroughly until smooth before stirring into warm gravies to prevent curdling.
Single cream
Use 90% of the weight combined with 10% lemon juice to replicate the lactic tang and rich body in marinades and curries.

Kewra water or rosewater

Rosewater
Use equal volume; replaces the grassy, pandan-like kewra aroma with a sweet floral note.
Green cardamom pod
Crush seeds from 2 pods per teaspoon of floral water and add to the simmering gravy; provides sweet aromatic lift without floral perfume.

Similar dishes

Sandali Murg

White Chicken Curry

Sandali Murg has a simpler, milk-forward profile without the mild acidity of yogurt or the floral aroma of saffron and rosewater.

Same: Sandali Murg also gently cooks chicken in ghee and milk seasoned with poppy seeds and nutmeg.
Different: Sandali Murg uses far more milk and adds mace, but it lacks the yogurt, onions, saffron, cloves, cardamom, floral water, and stuffed-bird preparation of this dish.

Trami Kokur Safed

Chicken in White Sauce

Trami Kokur Safed has a warm, herbal-sweet profile dominated by fennel and ginger, without the floral aroma, yogurt tang, or nutty richness of this dish.

Same: Both dishes gently braise chicken in milk and ghee seasoned with cloves.
Different: Trami Kokur Safed leaves the chicken unstuffed and simmers it in over a kilogram of milk with ground fennel, ginger, and cinnamon, omitting the yogurt, poppy seeds, onions, saffron, nutmeg, and floral water found in this dish.

Trami Kokur

Saffron Chicken

Trami Kokur tastes sharper, warmer, and spicier from chili and fennel, whereas this dish is rich, mild, nutty, and floral.

Same: Both dishes braise chicken in ghee using saffron, cloves, and onions.
Different: Trami Kokur reduces to a dry glaze spiced with fennel, cinnamon, and chili powder, omitting the milk, yogurt, poppy seeds, floral water, and egg stuffing found in this dish.

Murg Qorma (I)

Mughlia Chicken in Rich Sauce

It tastes more pungent, earthy, and spicy from the chillies and ginger, rather than creamy, nutty, and delicately floral.

Same: Murg Qorma (I) also simmers chicken in a fragrant base featuring onions, cloves, milk, and saffron.
Different: It cooks in vegetable oil instead of ghee and features cumin, ginger, cinnamon, and dried red chillies, omitting the yogurt, poppy seeds, floral water, cardamom, nutmeg, and stuffed-egg technique used in this dish.