← Nouns Cooking · Indian

Ingredients

• 1 kg bone-in chicken, curry cut, skin removed
• 1 tsp Ground turmeric
• 1 tsp salt, plus more to taste
• 100 g freshly grated coconut (or frozen)
• 8 dried Kashmiri chillies
• 2 tbsp white poppy seeds
• 1½ tbsp Coriander seeds
• 1 tsp Cumin seeds
• 1 tsp Fennel seeds
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 4 Cloves
• 1 small cinnamon stick
• 1 Star anise
• ¼ tsp fenugreek seeds
• ¼ tsp grated nutmeg
• 8 cloves Garlic
• 3 cm piece Ginger
• 3 tbsp coconut or neutral oil
• 2 Onion, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp tamarind pulp
• 400 ml hot water

Method

1. Rub the chicken with the turmeric and salt and set aside while you make the masala.
2. In a dry frying pan over medium-low heat, toast the chillies and all the whole spices for 2–3 min until fragrant, then tip them out. Toast the poppy seeds for 1 minute, then the coconut for 6–8 min, stirring constantly, until it is evenly deep golden brown.
3. Blend the toasted spices, poppy seeds, coconut, garlic, ginger and nutmeg with about 150 ml water into a thick, fine paste.
4. Heat the oil in a heavy pot over medium heat and fry the onions for 10 min until golden. Add the masala paste and fry for 5 min, stirring, until it darkens and smells toasty.
5. Add the chicken and stir to coat, then pour in the hot water. Cover and simmer for 25–30 min, stirring now and then, until the chicken is tender and reaches 75°C (165°F).
6. Stir in the tamarind and simmer uncovered for 5 min. The sauce should be thick and coat the chicken. Taste for salt and serve with rice or Goan pao.

Tips

• Roasting the coconut slowly and evenly is the secret; if it scorches, the curry turns bitter, so start again.
• Like most curries, xacuti is even better the next day.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Archana's Kitchen Yummy Tummy Aarthi