Chicken Curry (with Coconut)

Chicken Curry Rules! is the slogan I have heard so many times in the recent times :) starting from Shilpa Shetty who won the Big Brother UK, after she cooked chicken curry and was made a victim in the house, which in turn got her the viewers votes and she went on to win the show :) :). There are restaurants by that name and blogs too. I like the ring it has to it :) It is a very loved dish all over the world. Chicken curry recipes can vary from region to region and making may involve from having few ingredients to lot complex ingredients! There is Goan style, Mangalorean style, Shahi style, Moghlai style, North Indian style, Kerala style etc, I mean so many varieties of chicken curries.

Here I am presenting a coconut-based chicken curry. It involves basic whole garam masala and dry coconut (Maharashtrian style curry) I have grown up eating this kind of curry and enjoy making it every now and then...

Let us check the recipe:

CHICKEN CURRY

Ingredients:
Roasting 1:

• 2 tsp oil
• 1/2 tsp jeera
• 1 tbsp coriander seeds
• 8 cloves
• 5 peppercorns
• 1/2 inch cinnamon stick
• 1 crushed cardamom
• 1 tsp sesame seeds
• 1 tsp poppy seeds (khuskhus)
• pinch mustard seeds
• 3-4 fenugreek seeds
• 1/2 anise star
• 5-6 dry red chillies

Roasting 2:

• 2 tsp oil
• 1/2 onion sliced
• 1 tomato sliced
• 4-5 garlic pods
• 1 inch ginger

Dry Roasting 3:

• 1/2 cup dry coconut grated ( you get ready-made in stores now)

Marination:

• 1 tsp chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric(haldi)
• salt as per taste
• 1/2 cup thick yogurt
• 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
• 6 chicken thighs (cut into bite size pieces)

• cilantro to garnish
• 1 tbsp lemon juice (optional)

Preparation: 

• Clean chicken thighs, cut into pieces and marinate with the ingredients under marination and keep aside for atleast 1 hour, the more the better actually. If possible, you can also marinate it overnight.
• In the meantime, heat a non-stick pan and add ingredients under roasting 1 and saute for few minutes till the whole masala starts releasing the aroma. Put everything in a blender.
• Again in the same pan, add ingredients under roasting 2 and saute just for few minutes (3-4) and put everything in the blender.
• Now dry roast the coconut for couple minutes on low flame, keep a close eye, don't let it brown too much. Transfer to a blender.
• Grind everything using little water and make a fine ground paste.
• Now in a good size vessel, add the ground masala and bring to a quick boil, add salt as per taste, add marinated chicken pieces and cook for 20-25 minutes till chicken is done. Add 1 or 2 cups of water if you want more thin gravy. 
• Keep stirring in between and by the time chicken cooks, you will see it starts to leave oil on top, that's when your curry is done!! 
• Taste and adjust spiciness, you can add garam masala powder if you like, garnish with cilantro and lemon juice. 
• Serve hot with Roti, Naan, Bread or Rice.
  

NjoY!! happY cookinG!!

Health Benefits: Most curries contain turmeric, cumin, cardamon, ginger, garlic, coriander seeds- these are spices with strong anti-bacterial properties. That's why they're found in dishes from hot countries, where meat needs to be preserved. Chicken, as we know is loaded with proteins. Coconut helps to get rid of bad LDL. Curry can be consumed with parboiled rice, rice or wheat(whole grains) roti to reap max health benefits.