Chettinadu Chicken

We already saw that south indian style chicken gravy.. But here its little bit different from that.. Chettinad chicken is my all time favourite. It taste really very hot and very tastier gravy.. It ill go with both rice, rotis, and also with idli and dosa too....

INGREDIENTS:

• Chicken – 1 Kg
• Big Onions – 4 nos(finely sliced lengthwise)
• Green chilies – 3 nos(slit)
• Curryleaves - 2 sprigs
• Ginger -garlic paste - 4 tsp (preferably freshly ground)
• Ripe Tomatoes – 3 nos(diced)
• Corianderleaves - a handful (roughly chopped)
• Oil - 1/2 cup
• Salt - As reqd

To marinate chicken:

• Lemon juice – 3 tbsp
• Turmericpowder - 1 tsp
• Dry roast and grind to a fine paste:
• Whole black pepper – 3 tbsp
• Dry red chilies – 10 nos
• Poppyseeds (Kashakasha) - 2 tbsp
• Fennelseeds (Perumjeerakam) - 2 tbsp
• Cuminseeds (Jeerakam) - 1 tbsp
• Cardamom - 3 nos
• Cloves (Grambu) - 6 nos
• Cinnamon sticks(Karugapatta) – 2 one inch pieces
• Curryleaves - 1 sprig
• Grated coconut – 4 tbsp

 METHOD:

1. Clean the chicken pieces and chop them to desired sizes leaving the drumsticks as whole pieces with just some slits here and there.

2. Rub turmeric powder and lemon juice thoroughly on the pieces. Keep aside till you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

3. Dry roast all ingredients:- black pepper, red chillies, poppy seeds, fennel seeds, cumin seeds, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon sticks, curry leaves and grated coconut. Spread them on a plate to cool.

4. In the small jar of the mixer grinder, grind all these ingredients without using water.

5. Then add some water and grind them to a fine paste. Keep this ground paste aside.

6. Heat oil in a pressure cooker. Add the onions and curry leaves and green chilies and saute till the onions turn brown.

7. Add ginger-garlic paste and saute till a nice aroma arises.

8. Add tomatoes and cook covered on low heat till the tomatoes are pulpy.

9. Once the tomatoes blend with the mixture, add the ground paste, chicken and 2 cups of water.

10. Cover with the cooker lid and cook for 3 whistles, on high heat.

11. Once the steam settles by itself, open the lid and cook till some of the water evaporates and you get the required consistency, which is a little more watery than a semi-gravy.

12. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with rice.  This curry will taste even better the next day.

13. Happy cooking :)