Kerala Chicken Curry Recipes

KERALA CHICKEN CURRY - INDIAN HOTEL STYLE

Steps:

• Pre-heat a small skillet over medium-low heat.
• Add the spices to the skillet.
• Toast, shaking the pan, until they start to get fragrant. This should take a two or three minutes.
• Let cool and grind to a fine powder. I like a coffee grinder for this. The old ones with the blade work well. Bad for coffee. Great for spices.
• You won't need anywhere near all of it so transfer it to a jar with a tight fitting lid and store in a cool, dark place. Use it as a funky peppery garam masala if you like.
• Measure out your spice mix. Stem your curry leaves. Prep your chicken. Measure out a cup (237 ml) of Indian hotel curry gravy. Cut up your green chilies. Slice your shallot.
• Have your garlic ginger paste, tamarind and coconut milk handy. You're good to go now.
• Heat 1 tbsp of coconut oil over medium low heat in the same little pan you used to toast the spices.
• Add the shallots and cook until the shallots start to brown.
• Add the mustard seed and about 10 curry leaves and cook until the shallots are nicely brown. Set aside.
• Heat the oil in a medium sized frying pan until the oil just starts to shimmer.
• Stir in the garlic ginger paste. Gently fry until the garlic ginger paste stops sputtering. This can get a little messy.
• Turn your heat down to medium low and add your spice mix and the remaining 5 curry leaves. Cook for about 30 seconds. You want to fry your spices in the oil. Don't skimp on the oil. Bad things happen if the spices stick and burn.
• Add the green chilies. Cook another 30 seconds or so.
• Add the Indian hotel curry gravy. Stir it really well to get the oil to combine with the curry gravy. You want everything mixed together at this point. Bring to a simmer.
• Add the chicken thigh pieces in a single layer. Nestle them down into the sauce. Cover and cook about 5 minutes. Remove the cover, flip the chicken and recover. Cook until the chicken is done. Use an instant read thermometer if you have one. You are shooting for an internal temperature of 160F. It will get to 170F as the curry finishes cooking.
• Add the tamarind paste and coconut milk. Stir well to combine.
• Look at the consistency. If you are happy with it, cover and simmer for 2 minutes. If it's too thick, add a bit of water and stir to combine. If it's too thin don't cover it to let it reduce.
• While the curry is in it's final simmer, warm up the tempering over low heat.
• Transfer the kerala chicken curry to a serving dish and drizzle/sprinkle it with the tempering.
• Kerala chicken curry is great with rice and chapatis or parathas.

KERALA CHICKEN CURRY

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large skillet with a lid over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Drop in mustard seeds and cumin seeds, cover skillet, and wait until the mustard seeds have all popped. Add onion, ginger, and curry leaves. Saute over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, coriander, red chili powder, turmeric, and cinnamon stick; stir well.
• Add chicken and enough water to barely cover the chicken. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer over medium or medium-low heat for about 45 minutes, checking every 10 minutes to make sure there is enough moisture in the skillet to keep the chicken from burning. Add more water if necessary. When the chicken is tender, season with salt and serve.

KERALAN CHICKEN CURRY

Steps:

• For the Keralan curry, put the turmeric, yoghurt and a pinch of salt in a bowl and mix well. Add the chicken pieces and leave to marinate for an hour.
• Meanwhile, make the curry paste. Place a frying pan over a low heat and add the oil, followed by the ginger and garlic. Fry for about a minute, then add the remaining paste ingredients and fry for 5-6 minutes, or until lightly coloured. Leave to cool, then transfer to a blender, add 3-5 tablespoons water and blend to a fine paste. Set aside.
• To finish the Keralan chicken curry, place a heavy-based, non-stick pan over a medium heat and add the vegetable oil. When hot, add the chillies and let them sizzle for about 10 seconds. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and fry for 10-12 minutes, or until browned. Stir in the blended tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes. Add the spice paste and fry for 4-5 minutes, stirring well, until the sauce thickens slightly. Increase the heat and add the marinated chicken pieces, stirring well to coat them with spice paste. Fry for 4 minutes, or until lightly coloured. Add 100ml/3½fl oz water and season with salt and pepper. Cover with a lid and simmer for 25 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Add the coconut milk, stir well and simmer for a further 4-7 minutes, or until the sauce is slightly thickened.
• For the raita, in a small bowl, add the mint, coriander, yoghurt, ginger, spring onions and 100ml water to a blender. Blend to a smooth paste, then transfer to a bowl and sprinkle over the crushed cumin seeds, black salt and sea salt. Set aside.
• For the lime and coriander rice, season the cooked rice with salt and pepper. Fork lightly to loosen the grains and set aside.
• Place a large heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat and add the oil. When hot, add the chopped chilli and fry for a few seconds. Add the rice and heat through, stirring well. Add the lime zest and fresh coriander. Mix well and turn off the heat. Stir through the lime juice.
• To serve, garnish the curry with chilli flakes or coriander and serve in bowls with the rice and raita alongside.

KERALA-STYLE CHICKEN (NADAN KHOZI CURRY) RECIPE

Steps:

• Rub the chicken pieces in turmeric powder and seat aside. Heat the cast iron skillet over medium heat until hot. Add coriander seeds, fennel seeds, bay leaf, cinnamon, peppercorns, cardamon, and red chiles. (if you're using the red chile powder, do not add it now). Cook, stirring constantly, until the spices are fragrant, a few minutes. Transfer to a plate and allow to cool. Transfer to a spice blender (along with chile powder if using) and blend until powdered.
• Heat oil in a large non-stick or cast iron skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Stand away and add mustard seeds and curry leaves. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add onion, ginger, and garlic and cook, stirring, until softened and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the ground spices and stir vigorously. Add the chicken pieces and cook until lightly browned, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes total. Add the coconut milk and salt. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes. Serve hot with roti or white rice.