Gondhoraj Murgi (Chicken with 'Gondhoraj' lime)

My fear of ghosts was well-exploited by Ma who would tell me all sorts of spooky stories and one such involved ‘gondhoraj lebu’ (the king of limes that has its origins in eastern India and could be considered a distant cousin of kaffir lime).

On one of my school summer holidays, I saw the ‘thakur’ (head cook) plucking gondhoraj lebu from grandfather’s garden and slicing it for lunch. That’s it…I remembered the “shashuri bhoot” (the mother-in-law’s ghost) from Ma’s story and although the divine aroma from the citrus teased me, I preferred to stay away from it.

Fast forward to many years in a distant land – when Mr Husband brings these limes home from the shop, my memories come back in monochrome. 

An extended flavourful and fragrant chicken curry that is a must try with steamed rice. The burst of tangy lime leaves with a hint of heat from green chillies brought back happy scent of long summer days.