Recipe Pacchin/Flying Bird with Video

Cultural Importance:
Pacchin is a flying bird usually available during the winter months in Kashmir. It is a delicacy enjoyed by Kashmiri Hindus who would not normally eat chicken. Its cultural significance is that parents of newly-wed daughters customarily send Pacchin on occasion of the first snowfall of the season, called Nav Sheen.

Ingredients:

• 1 flying bird(Neelu’g, U’nz)or one Cornish hen(kooker put) available at supermarket which looks like pacchin
• 1½ tsp.mertschwangan/red chili powder
• ½ tsp.badiyan/fennel powder
• 1 tsp.shonth/ginger powder
• ½ tsp.dalchin, cinnamon powder or
• 2 crushed cinnamon sticks
• ½ tsp.kreuhuan zeur/kala zeera/black cumin seed
• 1 tsp.safed zeur/zeera/white cumin seed
• 2 roung/laung/cloves
• 4 aal/elaichi/cardamom
• Pinch of yeng/heeng/asafetida
• 2-3 tbsp. of vegetable cooking oil
• Salt to taste
• ½ cup of water

Method:

• Clean all fat, cut and wash pacchin/cornish hen and drain in colander.
• Heat oil in a frying pan.
• Sauté yeng/heeng, ½ tsp. crushed cumin seed, 2 elaichi and roung.
• Add pacchin to oil and fry for 10-15 minutes or until brown.
• Add cinnamon powder and sauté.
• Add chili powder and mix well.
• Add all spices except elaichi mix well.
• Add ½ cup of water.
• Cook approx. for 5 minutes or until water is absorbed and chicken is left with oily masala/ spices.
• Crush elaichi/cardamom and zeera/cumin seed.
• Sprinkle over chicken black zeera and crushed elaichi/cardamom and white zeera
• Cover to retain flavor.
• Turn off burner and serve with white rice or pulav.