The name has known to have been introduced during the British Raj of India as a style of cooking rather than a dish, when left over roast meats and vegetables were stir fried in oil, dry spices and chillies, by colonial chefs. Later a little water, yogurt or tomatoes was added, to make a semi dry sauce.
The Jalfrezi, Jhal Frezi or Jalfrazi was born and like the different pronunciations and cooking styles coming from the different parts of India, there is still some confusion to what it actually means from hot fry to dry fry and even Jhal meaning spicy food in Bengali and Parhezi suitable for a diet in Urdu. Though whatever the real meaning, the cooking style remains the same, meats or vegetables stir fried in spices and chillies.
In the west Chicken Jalfrezi has undoubtedly become a popular dish and is classed as the second hottest dish on the menu after Vindaloo, with various chefs and restaurants having their own unique recipe for cooking it. It’s mostly identified with chunks of chicken, onions, bell peppers, and green chillies in a semi dried sauce. Commonly made by stir frying chunks of chicken in a very hot wok of oil, spices and herbs, a little water, yogurt or tomato juice is added to stop the chicken sticking to the bottom of the pan, while producing a little sauce. Finally large cubed onions, green bell peppers, tomatoes and sliced green chillies are added for the last 10-15 minutes to soften, before serving hot.