Well, necessarily not all Kerala recipes need to include coconut as one of the ingredients. This chicken curry is sans any coconut…a must try!
Chicken – 500 gms (washed, drained and cut into pieces)
Onions – 2 nos (big sized, finely chopped)
Ginger – 1 tbsp (julienned)
Tomatoes – 4 nos (finely chopped)
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Cooking oil – 4 tbsp
Salt to taste
For curry masala, grind to a fine paste the following
Shallots (small onions) – 10 nos
Ginger – 3 cm piece
Garlic – 6-8 cloves
Dry Red chilies – 8-10 nos
Turmeric powder – a pinch
Cumin seeds (jeera) – 1 tsp
Fennel seeds (saunf) – 1 tsp
Black Peppercorns – 15 nos
Water (as required to make this thick paste)
- In a pan heat oil and tip in the onions. Fry till translucent
- Add the ground curry masala and mix well. Fry for 2 minutes.
- Remove half of this mixture and keep aside
- To the remaining half in the pan add chicken, ginger and salt and sauté till the chicken is cooked
- Tip in chopped tomatoes, curry leaves and ¾ cup water and cook over low heat till oil separates
- Add in the onion and masala paste you had set aside earlier (step 3) and turn off the heat
- Mix well and garnish with chopped fresh coriander leaves and julienned ginger
- Serve with rice, chappati, Kerala porotta, aapam or idiaapam
Till next time…happy cooking!
Akshayapatram 