Chicken chettinad

Chicken Chettinad ...

This weekend when my fridge was again filled with some country chicken, I wanted to make something different not the usual chicken masala nor chicken curry, not in the mood of monotony. So I went on to make this Chicken Chettinad my way which I learnt few years back on one of my trips to Mahabalipuram. there's one restaurant name Moonrakers there I had tasted the best chettinand I ever had. learning about new places n their cuisines always fascinates me ..so  whenever I go  on a trip, I prefer to eat in low key  restaurant  rather than any fancy restaurant because I believe if u want to have real the authentic taste of that region then go for those low key restaurants... I first tasted  this recipe when I shifted to blr for the very first time but trust me that was not the original taste of chettinad ,it tasted more  like pepper chicken .The traditional chicken chettinad  is known for using so many varieties of spices like star anise, whole red chillies, fennel seed, cinnamon, cloves, bay leaf, peppercorn, cumin seeds and fenugreek and addition of tomatoes, coconut, ginger and garlic gives the must needed  richness to the recipe .The recipe is  loaded with full of  aromas and flavours. Traditionally, the spices were grounded freshly but nowdays chettinad masalas is available in any supermarket but I argued to go for the traditional way as it gives the freshness n authenticity  and one can clearly tell the difference between freshly grounded masalas n packaged masalas . So here is the recipe 🤗

 

Ingredients: -

Sl.no	Item	Quantity
1	Chicken	1 Kg (cut in curry pieces)
2	Curry leaf	1 bunch
3	Onions	3 chopped finely
4	Tomatoes	4 (boiled, skinned and chopped)
5	Red Chili powder	1 tsp
6	Turmeric	1 tsp
7	Poppy Seeds	2 tsp
8	Coriander Seeds	1 tbsp
9	Fennel seeds	1 tbsp
10	Cumin Seeds	1 tsp
11	Cinnamon	1 inch
12	Cardamom	3/4
13	Whole Cloves	5/6
14	Dried Red Chili	4/5
15	Peppercorns	7/8
16	Ginger	½ inch
17	Garlic	10/12
18	Coconut	1 ½ cup (fresh coconut grated)
19	Curd	2 tsp
20	Oil -7/8 Tbsp	7/8 tbsp
21	Salt	As per taste

Method: -

1. Heat a pan, add 1 Tbsp oil fry cumin seeds, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, whole cloves, cardamoms, whole red chilies, peppercorns, cinnamon for a few seconds.

2. Add chopped ginger and garlic and fry some more. After the ginger garlic get lightly fried, add poppy seeds and fresh coconut.

3. Fry for about a minute on low flame and add 1/4 cup of warm water to soften the masalas.

4. Allow the masalas to cool and grind it to a fine paste.

5. Marinates the chicken with curd and this freshly grounded masala, leave it for half an hour to one hour.

6. Heat the remaining oil and add few dry red chilli and chopped onions. After the onions get well browned, add turmeric, red chili powder, half the curry leaves and marinated chicken. Fry everything on low till the oil separates.

7. Add chopped tomatoes. Cover and let the chicken will cook in the oil and tomatoes. add water if required.

8. Add salt and allow chicken to cook completely on low flame.

9. After the chicken is cooked through, turn off the heat and add the remaining curry leaves. Serve hot.