After 6hrs or overnight, remove the marinaded chicken from the refrigerator and give it a quick hand mixAlso remove the water that we have kept aside from the ground masala Now take a wide pan, and add oil into it for frying the chickenNote:- please Do Not skip this step as Cafreal tastes best when the chicken is pan fried first Once the oil is hot, add the chicken pieces into the pan and fry the Chicken on medium high flame till it gets it's golden brown colourNote:- we Don't have to fry the chicken till fully cooked. We just want a nice brown crusty surface on the chicken. This step will take just about 3-4 minutes Remove the chicken and keep it aside
Now in a skillet or a vessel, add 2 tbspns oil
Place the skillet/vessel on medium flame
Once the oil becomes hot, add the masala that is left from the marinaded chicken, into the vessel/skillet and cook for about 10 minutes
Now add in the Vinegar, Sugar, Cinnamon powder and the water that we have kept aside in the bowl from the ground masala
Let this gravy cook until all the taste of the raw spices gets completely cooked
Add the pan fried Chicken to the gravy and mix well till each and every piece of chicken is coated with gravy
Let the chicken cook in the gravy and check for salt, vinegar or sugar. If required, then add it at this stage. I like my Cafreal Abit more vinegary, so I add in some more vinegar at this stageNote:- Do Not cover the skillet/vessel and ensure to stir and mix the chicken at intervals or else it may get stuck or burnt at the bottom After about 10 minutes or so, turn the gas flame to high and let all the gravy thicken
Once the gravy thickens, your Cafreal is ready to be served
Enjoy your Chicken cafreal with Hot Pao or Poee
Note:- The Cafreal that I make is a Semi Gravy Cafreal. However if you like your Cafreal with more gravy, you can grind more quantity of the masala and alter the water content