Chettinad Chicken Curry

The Chettiar community of Tamil Nadu is famous for its spice-forward cooking. This curry gets its depth from a masala of whole spices, black pepper and coconut roasted until dark and fragrant – the smell alone fills the house.

Video by Get Curried on YouTube. Our recipe below is our own home-style version, written in our own words – quantities and steps may differ from the video.

• Serves 4
• Prep 20 min
• Marinate 30 min
• Cook 40 min
• gluten-free · Spicy
• Famous in Tamil Nadu

Ingredients

• 800 g chicken pieces (thighs, on the bone or boneless)
• 150 g plain yogurt
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp salt
• For the masala: 2 tbsp coriander seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp fennel seeds, 1½ tsp black peppercorns, 5 dried red chillies, 4 cloves, 3 green cardamom pods, 3 cm cinnamon, 1 star anise, 4 tbsp desiccated coconut
• 3 tbsp oil
• 15 curry leaves
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• fresh coriander to serve

Method

1. Mix the chicken with yogurt, turmeric and salt and leave for 30 minutes.
2. Dry-roast the whole spices and chillies in a pan on low heat for 2–3 minutes, add the coconut and roast until golden brown. Cool and grind to a fine powder with a splash of water.
3. Heat the oil, add curry leaves and onions and fry until deep golden, about 10 minutes.
4. Add ginger-garlic paste and tomatoes and cook until soft and the oil separates.
5. Stir in the ground masala and fry for 2 minutes, then add the chicken with its marinade.
6. Cover and cook on low heat for 25–30 minutes, stirring now and then, until the chicken is tender and the sauce is thick. Adjust salt, scatter coriander and serve with rice, parotta or dosa.

Tip: Roast the spices slowly – burnt spices turn bitter. They are ready when the coconut is evenly brown.

Shop the ingredients

Everything you need for this recipe is in stock at Farmah’s – order online or pick it up at Annenstraße 41, Graz.