Chicken Curry
I learnt this recipe by watching one of my friends cook & from other recipes I've seen. I like this curry because it's coconut based and I love coconut. It's also convenient because the chicken cooks while you prepare the curry so it takes less time.
It also gives you creative freedom. You can vary the taste and colour of the curry (varying from red / brown / green / white) just by varying the amount of corriander leaves / red chilli and other spices in the 'gunpowder'
Cook Chicken
The chicken is fried in oil to seal the meat. This makes the pieces firm and they would not crumble even if you overcook it.
1. Skin, clean and cut a Whole chicken (medium size - approx 1.5 kg).
2. Heat 3 tbsp oil in a thick bottomed vessel. Add 1/2 tsp turmeric powder and stir. Add one chopped onion to it and fry for a minute.
3. Add the chicken pieces and stir fry for 5 min.
4. Add water and cook till almost done.
Curry base
This forms the bulk of the gravy
Puree the following in a blender:
1/4th grated coconut
10gm corriander leaves
1 onion
4 cloves garlic
Gunpowder
This is what adds the punch & taste to the curry. Here's where your creativity comes in. You can use any spice mix that you fancy or even plain garam masala from an Indian store.
Dry roast the following and grind to a fine powder in a mill
8 dry red chillies with stalk & seeds removed (The long red ones available in Indian stores - they are 2-3 inches long)
2 inch cinnamon piece
8 cloves
8 green cardamoms
2 black cardamoms
2 star anise
2 tbsp corriander seeds
Put it all together
1. Heat 3 tbsp oil in a thick bottomed vessel.
2. Add the curry base and fry for 10-15 min on a medium flame until it becomes dry and a film of oil appears.
3. Add the 'gunpowder' spice mix and stir until it is blended into the curry base.
4. Pick out the cooked chicken pieces from the stock and add them to the vessel. Retain the stock liquid to add later.
5. Stir fry until the curry paste has coated the chicken pieces.
6. Add the stock liquid and boil until the chicken is well done.