Curry Chicken in Coconut Milk -Kerala Style

By Flagthis -

This mouth watering chicken curry drenched in coconut milk, seasoned with shallots, mustard and curry leaves is very unique to the character of Kerala. More specifically, Kottayam. Though so distinct to this region, this curry goes well with possibly anything you can think of - rice, rotis, naans, bread, dosas, idlis, paal appams, iddi appams an endless list. But, being from Kottayam, obviously I think it is best matched with kappa (tapioca). Come rain or shine, the malayalee in me is always ready for a bowl of kozhi curry and kappa.




[caption id="attachment_214" align="aligncenter" width="524" caption="Curry Chicken in Coconut milk - Kerala Style "][/caption]

Ingredients


2 lb chicken skinned and cleaned
1 large or 2 medium sized onions, finely sliced
4 -5 shallots finely sliced
1/2 tsp kerala garam masala
1 tsp coriander powder
2 tsp chili powder (base it on tolerable spice level)
4 tbsp coconut Oil
1 tbsp diced garlic
1 tbsp grated ginger
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp roasted cumin powder
1/2 cup canned coconut milk ( use 1 1/2 cup thick coconut milk if you are making fresh from scratch)
salt to taste
one sprig Curry Leaves
1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
1/4tsp whole black pepper corns
2 tbsp lemon juice




[caption id="attachment_215" align="aligncenter" width="524" caption="Curry Chicken in Coconut milk - Kerala Style "][/caption]

Directions



  • Marinate skinned and cut chicken pieces with 2 tbsp of lemon juice, salt and 1/4 tsp of turmeric and refrigerate for an hour or two

  • Heat 1 tbsp of coconut oil in cooking pan, splutter 1/4 tsp mustard seeds, add cumin, pepper corns and onions and sauté till the onions are nicely caramelized. The onions have to attain a deep brown color.

  • Crush ginger and garlic, add to the pan and continue sautéing until the oil separates.

  • Add the marinated chicken pieces, turmeric, chili, coriander, garam masala powders and salt and mix well for 4 - 5 minutes.

  • Add 1/2 cup of water reduce heat and let it simmer covered for 20 - 25 mins or until the chicken gets tender and cooked, stirring occasionally.

  • When the chicken is well done, add coconut milk, mix it thoroughly and let it remain on very low flame for a minute or two.

  • Finally, shallow fry shallots with 3 tbsp of coconut oil remaining mustard seeds and curry leaves and season the curry.

  • Serve with white rice or Indian breads.

    • Comments

    1. AadityaJanuary 7, 2010 at 4:37 AM

      Shud try this dish....Looks yummy

      ReplyDelete
    2. julieJanuary 8, 2010 at 3:09 PM

      thanks, aaditya. let me know what u think after trying.

      -J

      ReplyDelete
    3. DahliaFebruary 7, 2010 at 12:46 AM

      Julie, tried this for lunch today - had ppl over. Jus turned out yummmmm !

      ReplyDelete
    4. VarshaJune 27, 2010 at 4:10 PM

      Writing in to say thank you :) you are almost doing a service to the society (of people who need to look at recipes, to be effective in a kitchen) with your blog. tried this recipe and the beef fry and found my mal husband licking his fingers at the end of it. All thanks to you :)
      have a technical question though - why shallots and not just regular onions?

      ReplyDelete
    5. julieJune 28, 2010 at 12:00 PM

      thanks varsha..glad u liked the recipes..about the shallots, they are milder and less pungent than onions, almost all malayalee savouries call for shallots....they provide a distinctly unique taste to this cuisine..

      ReplyDelete
    6. ShayeJune 18, 2013 at 8:27 PM

      Thank you Julie. It was delicious.

      ReplyDelete
    7. ShayeJune 18, 2013 at 8:28 PM

      Thanks Julie. This was delicious.

      ReplyDelete

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