Chettinad Chicken

Today's recipe is my all time favorite  Chettinad style Chicken curry. This is a very spicy curry where lots of dry red chili and black peppers are used. Chettinad is a region located in Tamil Nadu. Chettinad is the home of the Nattukottai Chettiars, a prosperous banking and business community. The word Chettiar refers to the social caste of mercantile bankers. The chettiars are known to be traders in salt and spices and this reflected in the Chettinad Cuisine. SOme well known local dishes are Chicken Chettinad, Vegetable Chettinad and some dishes made with seafood.

My mom saw this recipe in a local magazine when I was around 10 yrs. I wasn't a big fan of Chicken until she made me this spicy Chettinad Chicken. I follow the same recipe  but never get the same taste and texture of the curry which my mom makes. I posted this recipe long time ago, but didn't take proper picture for the post. As I choose to Redo the old posts for this month Blogging Marathon, I have tried to make the curry as my mom used to make. But then, I again failed to get the same taste. Anyways I hope someday I will get to it. 

Here goes the recipe.....



Ingredients



Chicken 500gms / 1 lb
Tomato 2
Onion 3 small
Ginger garlic paste 1 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves 5
Coriander leaves 1/2 cup
Green chili 6
Red chili 6
Dry coconut powder 1/4 cup
Pepper powder 1 1/2 tsp
Cumin 1 1/2 tsp
Garam masala 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil 1/4 cup



Preparation:


In a small pan heat 1/2 tsp oil and add cumin, red chili, pepper powder and coconut and roast for few minutes till coconut becomes light brown.

Grind this along with 1 onion and some water.
In a large non stick pan heat oil and add onions and slit green chili.
Now add ginger garlic paste and curry leaves.
When the raw smell of ginger garlic paste disappears  add chicken and cook for 15 minutes.



Now add tomato, masala paste, garam masala and salt.
Cover with lid and cook till the chicken is nice and tender  and the gravy  oozes oil.
This curry will be little dry,  if you want to have some gravy add water and cook for some more time.
Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

9 comments:

Rafeeda AR said...

The color of the gravy is amazing! Love the spice paste that goes into chettinad delicacies... just lifts the flavors up a lot notches!

Gayathri Kumar said...

With freshly ground spice paste, this curry must be so flavourful. Perfect to enjoy with hot steaming rice.

rajani said...

It’s wonderful to feature a recipe in your blog that was published in a magazine so long back. It’s become part of your family favorites and your mother’s specialty. That makes it so special, don’t you think? It might take you a few more tries to make it exactly like your mom’s, but I am sure your family will relish each and every try :-)

vaishali sabnani said...

That’s some lovely serveware with a dish that chicken lovers would enjoy !

Harini R said...

Is it common to think that your mom always makes the best food? I think so. So don't beat yourself up on that score. I am sure your family enjoyed it just as well.

jayashree said...

This will make a good weekend lunch. Loved that serving bowl of yours.

Srividhya said...

I am sure all the chicken lovers would go wow... I have heard a lot about chettinad chicken.

Narmadha said...

Freshly grounded masala adds nice taste to chettinad chicken. Lovely color and tempting

Swati said...

Nothing can beat the taste of fresh homemade masala. This looks so tempting and sounds so flavourful