New Delhi: Chicken Chettinad is a South Indian flavourful dish prepared using spices, chicken and herbs. While chicken is loved by every non-vegetarian food, they will simply jump in if there’s an addition of modern flavour to it. Thus, here is the recipe for this lip-smacking recipe by the restaurant named Chattynadu to delight your taste buds.
Recipe for Chicken Chettinad
Ingredients
500 grams chicken
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon lime juice
3 medium onions
1 inch ginger
6 cloves garlic
2 sprig curry leaves
2 medium tomatoes
2 tablespoon oil
For Chettinad Spice Mix
1.1/2 tablespoon coriander seeds
4 dry red chilies
4 cardamom
1 teaspoon whole black pepper
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 star anise
1 inch cinnamon
4 cloves
1/4 cup grated coconut
tamarind 1/4 the size of a lime and soaked in water
For garnishing
2 sprigs coriander leaves (cilantro)
Instructions
- Keep the whole spices ready.
- Ingredients like cinnamon, cardamom and cloves, can significantly alter the flavour balance of the dish.
- Take special care not to add more that the stipulated quantities in this recipe.
Preparations
- Wash the chicken pieces, and cut to small/medium sized pieces.
- Thinly slice the onions. Finely chop tomatoes, ginger, and garlic.
- Add turmeric, salt, lime juice to the chicken and mix well. Keep aside to marinate for 15 minutes.
- Dry roast the spices in a pan, without the red chillies, on medium flame. Once they start to turn brown, add chillies, and fry for 30 seconds while stirring frequently. The spices should turn golden brown.
- Now add the grated coconut, stir well and fry till the mixture is evenly golden brown. Keep the pan aside to cool.
- In a pressure cooker, heat some oil and fry onions till they turn tender. Add ginger, garlic and curry leaves. Fry for a couple of minutes.
- Add the marinated chicken pieces and mix well.
- Add chopped tomatoes, stir well, close the lid, and cook on a high flame on pressure cooker mode. Cook until you get the first whistle. Switch off and set aside to cool.
- Transfer the fried spices (it shouldn't be hot) to a mixer jar. Blitz the fried spices in a mixer to fine powder (do not add water).
- Once you have an evenly ground mixture, add 1/4 cup water and blend well. Add the tamarind water and little more water (up to 1/4 cup) and blend until you get a smooth, paste-like consistency.
- Now open the pressure cooker (Don't force open. Wait until the pressure is fully released), and transfer the contents to a pan.
- Add the ground spice paste and mix well. Simmer on a low flame for 10-15 minutes. Add more water if required and reduce a little.
- Check for salt. Finely chop cilantro (coriander leaves) and garnish.
- Serve hot with rice.
