Chettinad chicken curry

I know there are countless recipes for chettinad chicken. Chettinad is a region in Tamil Nadu which is known for spicy food and sprawling mansions. The people who lived there were very prosperous traders and bankers who did business in the early 20th century with most asian countries. One of the main commodities they traded in was spices. Pepper especially is believed to be used by them even before the rest of India did. That should explain the abundance of spices used in their cooking.

Most of the recipes for Chettinad chicken involve grinding the spices to make the masala. But the recipe is quite simple and does not involve too many steps.



Roast without oil and grind to a powder:
1 tsp whole black pepper
6-8 red chilies (adjust according to how spicy you want)
1 tsp khus khus
1 tsp saunf (sombu/fennel)
1/2 tsp jeera (cumin)
1 tsp coriander seeds
2 cardomoms
3-4 cloves
1 inch piece cinnamon
5-6 curry leaves (optional)
2-3 tsp coconut powder (you can use fresh grated coconut too if available)

Other ingredients:
1 kg chicken - cut to 1.5 inch pieces
2 medium onions - chopped fine
1-2 medium tomatoes - chopped fine
2 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 tsp lemon juice
curry leave and coriander leaves to taste

Fry onions in some oil, add curry leaves, tomato and ginger-garlic paste.
When fried well almost to a paste, add the chicken.
Add salt and the ground masala, lemon juice, 2 cups water and pressure cook for one whistle. Alternatively you could cook in pan until chicken is done (you may have to add some more water then)
Add chopped coriander leaves and simmer for 5 min.

Serve with steamed white rice.

Hope you enjoy this.

Curry Mela by Bachelor Cooking
Technorati tag:: Curry Mela : Bachelor Cooking