← Nouns Cooking · Indian

Ingredients

• 750 g chicken on the bone (curry cut)
• 2 tsp Fennel seeds
• 10 black peppercorns
• 6 Cloves
• 2 green cardamom pods
• 1 3 cm cinnamon stick
• 3 tbsp Coconut oil
• 2 Bay leaves
• 40 g thin coconut slivers (or 3 tbsp desiccated coconut)
• 3 sprigs Curry leaves
• 2 Green chilli, slit
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 16 small shallots, sliced (keep 6 for the finish)
• 4 cm piece Ginger, crushed
• 12 cloves Garlic, crushed
• ½ tsp Ground turmeric
• 1 tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder
• 1 tsp Chilli powder
• 2 tsp Ground coriander
• 1¼ tsp Salt
• 300 ml Water
• ½ tsp Mustard seeds
• 1 dried red chilli

Method

1. Grind the fennel, peppercorns, cloves, cardamom and cinnamon with 3 tbsp water to a smooth spice paste.
2. Heat 2 tbsp of the coconut oil in a heavy pan over medium heat. Add the bay leaves and coconut slivers and fry for 2 min until the coconut is golden. Add 2 sprigs of curry leaves and the green chillies.
3. Add the onion and 10 of the shallots and fry for 8–10 min until golden. Stir in the ginger and garlic for 2 min.
4. Lower the heat, add the turmeric, both chilli powders and the coriander and stir for 1 minute, then add the spice paste and fry for 2 min until it smells sweet and toasty.
5. Add the chicken and salt and stir over high heat for 5 min. Pour in the water, cover and simmer on low for 20–25 min, until the chicken is tender, reaches 75°C (165°F) and the gravy is thick.
6. For the finish, heat the remaining oil in a small pan, crackle the mustard seeds, then fry the reserved shallots, dried chilli and the last curry leaves for 3 min until golden. Pour over the curry and serve with rice, appam or parotta.

Tips

• Small shallots (sambar onions) give the sweet Kerala flavour; red onions are the next best thing.
• Cook it a few hours ahead: the gravy gets deeper as it sits.

Sources

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

My Food Story Kothiyavunu Yummy Tummy Aarthi