NIDHI: I'm making Rum Chicken Keema today.

DINESH: This is a curry she created using a rum that I grew up drinking.

You know, it is amazing.

You should definitely try it.

SETH: All right.

Well, curry, rum.

Definitely sounds good to me.

NIDHI: Well, welcome to my kitchen.

I'll show you the recipe.

DINESH: And while you are back there, I'll whip up some cocktails.

SETH: Sounds good to me.

DINESH: All right?

SETH: Thanks, Dinesh.

NIDHI: So welcome to my kitchen.

And here, we are going to make rum chicken.

SETH: All right.

Well, I actually love rum, but this is coming from India?

NIDHI: We are sourcing this rum from India.

SETH: I've only had Caribbean rums before.

Really curious what the Indian rum tastes like.

NIDHI: Okay, let's taste it.

And this is everyone's favorite.

SETH: And this is a dish that you came up with all on your own?

NIDHI: Yes, I did.

And my husband, he loves rum, so I came up with the idea to make a rum chicken, and, which is so popular now.

SETH: Let's give it a shot.

Cheers, Chef.

NIDHI: Cheers.

Cheers.

SETH: Ooh.

NIDHI: It is strong.

It is nutty.

Yes.

SETH: It's a nice caramelized flavor as well.

NIDHI: So I'm going to pour some rum.

SETH: It looks like we're being pretty generous with the rum there.

NIDHI: We are.

If you want a rum flavor, yes.

This a fresh ginger garlic paste and ginger garlic is always the base of the Indian cooking.

SETH: And a keema curry, is that always using ground chicken?

NIDHI: Yes, it's always a minced chicken.

SETH: Even just two ingredients in that marinade, it's so aromatic.

How long does this have to marinate for?

NIDHI: So I prefer to marinate it overnight.

It adds the more flavor to it.

But I have already marinated chicken over here.

SETH: Oh, wow.

NIDHI: There's a lot more flavor to add to it and I'm going to show you how it goes.

SETH: Rum in hand, here I come.

And Chef, you were not kidding about a lot more ingredients here.

How do you get started on this dish?

NIDHI: So I'm going to make the base.

So this is the ghee... and then we are going to add dry spices.

So it's cinnamon, bay leaves, cumin seeds, black cardamom, and the cloves.

Cook it for a couple of seconds.

So you're going to feel the aroma of it.

We put five to six medium-sized onions.

So I'm going to cook it till it gets brown, translucent.

SETH: Yeah, a nicely perfumed kitchen right now.

NIDHI: Just for a little heat, we are going to add the green chilies.

SETH: These are Indian chilies?

NIDHI: These are Indian green chilies, yes.

SETH: So is this going to be a spicy curry?

NIDHI: It's going to be a moderate spice.

On the scale of one to 10, I would say around six.

SETH: Six works for me.

So taking the rum out of it, is keema itself, is that a typical Punjabi dish?

NIDHI: It is.

It is a street food.

We will add salt so that we take all the moisture from the onions.

So at this point, we'll add the ginger.

SETH: With every ingredient you add, my hunger just continues to grow and grow.

NIDHI: So now you see the color is changing.

It's about time we can put the garlic.

Anything you put in the wok, you have to cook it for like couple of minutes so that it adds more flavor.

SETH: Patience is an important ingredient too.

NIDHI: Patience is the main key.

It's about time we put the tomatoes in it, eight or nine tomatoes.

And again, the process starts.

Cook, cook, cook, cook, cook.

This is a turmeric powder.

We are raised that turmeric should be the main ingredient of anything.

And then at this point, this is a red chili powder, so approximately one and a half spoons of it.

SETH: And besides this one recipe chef, where did you learn all of these techniques?

NIDHI: So it's a mixed recipes of my side of family and my husband's side of family.

SETH: You add a little something to it.

NIDHI: And then I'm adding a little bit, little bit to it.

SETH: So the next generation will add their own little touch.

NIDHI: Yes.

Now as you see, the oil has separated from the curry sauce, and about time to put the chicken in it.

SETH: The beautiful rum chicken.

NIDHI: Okay.

We cook it for 10 minutes with the curry sauce so that everything gets mixed in.

SETH: And because you're using minced chicken, it's going to cook a little faster, right?

NIDHI: Absolutely.

While it's cooking, this is garam masala.

SETH: And do you blend your own garam masala in-house?

NIDHI: Every day, yes.

And then this is a dry fenugreek leaf.

SETH: All right.

More color, more aroma.

Love it.

NIDHI: Can you pass me the rum, please?

SETH: I would be more than happy to pass you the amazing Indian rum.

NIDHI: This is the most important ingredient in rum chicken.

I would say I can add everything, like the whole bottle of it.

SETH: Let's do it.

Why not?

Why stop there?

More rum flavor.

NIDHI: Keep going.

Finish the bottle, yeah.

SETH: Love it.

NIDHI: And then we simmer it for 15 minutes.

So after it's done simmering, I will add the green peas to it.

We are going to serve it with cumin pea rice.

And then we are going to add cilantro just to garnish it.

SETH: All right, Nidhi, Dinesh.

A nice warm curry is just what the doctor ordered today.

I can't wait to try it.

NIDHI: Are you tasting the rum?

SETH: Absolutely, and also those spices.

Really bold to that garam masala.

The rum, you don't quite get it at first, but it's almost like another layer... NIDHI: Another layer... SETH: On the back end of the bite.

It's just warm and comforting.

And do you recommend eating it with the rice?

Should I add some rice to my spoonful?

NIDHI: Absolutely.

SETH: And what did you add to the rice, Nidhi?

NIDHI: So it's like caramelized onions, cumin, green peas, fenugreek, and cilantro.

SETH: Perfect little complement to that Rum Keema.

The chickpeas, is that just an Indigo standard here?

DINESH: Yeah, totally because the chickpeas is such a favorite dish from the region that I come from, Punjab.

Everybody loves the chickpeas, whether they are meat eaters or vegetarians, or pescatarians.

It comes with all the dishes as a side.

SETH: They absolutely just melt in your mouth.

NIDHI: Yeah.

It takes forever to cook it.

The more you cook it, the more tender and juicy it is.