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Pour boiling water over the dried fruit. It should just cover their tops. Set aside.
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Prep the onion, ginger and garlic.
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Brown the chicken thighs in 1-2 tablespoons of oil in a large Dutch oven. Remove the chicken thighs and set aside.
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Drain the dried fruit, reserving the water. Use that water now to deglaze the Dutch oven. Add the cinnamon sticks and cloves. Crumble the saffron into the now boiling water.
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When the water is almost completely boiled off but not quite, add another 1-2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Then add the onion with a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. If it starts to scorch or burn, add another splash of water.
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Add the ginger, garlic and tomato paste. Cook for 2 minutes. Add a splash of water if need be.
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Add the ground cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cloves and garam masala. Stir and cook for 30 seconds. Then add the 1 1/2 cups of water and stir in. Add the chicken thighs back into the pot with any accumulated juices. Bring to a boil.
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Cover and simmer until the chicken thighs are cooked through, about 20 minutes.
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Add the lemon juice before serving. Taste for additional salt or garam masala as well. Serve with rice.