A few days back, I saw an advert at our local grocery store.
It was about a Malayalee food festival to be held on a Sunday.Infact the menu too was highlighted. Even though I could not make it since I was away from the city, but the Kerala Chicken Stew mentioned in the advert caught my attention.And since Chicken Stew is considered too healthy for Friday dinner, I decided to prepare something inspired from South Indian cuisine.
It is a chicken dish prepared with minimal water and based on curry leaves which gives it the grace. We had it with Paranthas.I always insist on soft, “melt in the mouth” chicken and that requires a longer cooking time than average.
Serves: 2
Preparation Time: 20 mins
Cooking Time: 1 hr 15 mins.
Ingredients:
- Chicken: 750 gms.Small pieces, on the bone.
- Onion: 150 gms.Slit longitudinally.
- Ginger: A 1 inch piece.Crushed.
- Garlic: 5-6 cloves.Crushed.
- Curry Leaves: 6-8 table spoons.
- Vinegar: 2 tbsp.
- Vegetable Oil: 4 tbsp
- Salt: To taste.
- Sugar: 1/2 tsp.
Powdered Spices:
- Turmeric Powder:2 tsp
- Coriander Powder: 2 tsp
- Dry Red Chilli Powder: 2 tsp.
Whole Spices:
- Green Cardamon:3-4.
- Cinnamon Stick: A 1 inch piece
- Cloves:3-4
- Black Pepper:8-10.Crushed.
- Dry Red Chilli: 2.
Procedure:
- Heat 4 tbsp of vegetable oil in a kadai.
- Once the oil is nice and hot, add all the whole spices and half of the curry leaves.
- When the spices start to sputter and release their aroma, add the crushed ginger and garlic.
- After a minute, add the sliced onion.Sprinkle the sugar over the onion.
- Under low heat, stir and fry the onion and wait till the onion slices turn reddish brown in colour.
- Then add the chicken pieces and increase the heat to high.
- Sprinkle all the powdered spices,vinegar and some amount of salt over the chicken.
- Stir briskly for around 15 mins to ensure that the mixture doesnot stick to the bottom. At the end of 15 mins, the chicken pieces will turn brown.
- Then reduce the heat to low and add half cup of warm water.Follow this up with the remaining half of the curry leaves.
- Stir the mixture to ensure that water penetrates the curry.
- Then put a lid on the kadai and let the chicken cook for 10 mins.
- Keep adding warm water and let the chicken covered until the pieces turn succulent.
- In the end, the gravy should acquire a reddish brown colour and the chicken pieces should get well roasted in the heat of the kadai, which imparts the dish its distinctive taste.
Enjoy with Paranthas.
