Chicken Chettinad

What Goes With It

• Steamed rice
• Appam or dosa
• Cucumber and onion raita

Sides from the same cuisine on this site: Chapati (Roti), Gluten-Free Naan, Idiyappam.

How to Make Chicken Chettinad

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1. Toast the coriander, fennel, peppercorns, cumin, chillies, cloves and cinnamon in a dry pan for 2 minutes.

   Mark done Start 2 min timer

2. Add the coconut and toast 90 seconds more, until it is pale gold and no further.

   Mark done

3. Cool 5 minutes, then grind to a fine powder.

   Mark done

4. Heat the coconut oil and fry half the curry leaves for 20 seconds.

   Mark done

5. Add the onions and fry 10 minutes, until deep brown.

   Mark done

6. Stir in the ginger and garlic paste and cook 2 minutes.

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7. Add the tomatoes, turmeric and salt and cook 5 minutes, until pulpy.

   Mark done

8. Add the chicken and turn it in the masala for 5 minutes.

   Mark done Start 5 min timer

9. Stir in the ground masala and the water, cover, and simmer 25 minutes.

   Mark done

10. Uncover and cook 5 minutes more to thicken. Scatter the remaining curry leaves and the coriander over.

    Mark done

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A Few Notes

Coconut goes in last and comes out pale gold.

Grind the masala for this dish, not from a jar.

Bone-in chicken — the bones carry the flavour into the gravy.

If You're Missing Something

• Dried chilli flakes can stand in for the chillies. Heat varies a great deal between chillies and between jars, so start with a small pinch and add more to taste.
• If you only have ground ginger, a quarter-teaspoon for each tablespoon of fresh is the ratio usually given; it tastes warmer and less bright than the fresh root.
• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.

Leftovers

Better on the second day. Keeps 3 days refrigerated, freezes 2 months.

The Numbers per Serving

Per serving, an approximate calculation from the ingredient list. Treat it as a rough guide: weights that include bone are counted as if all of it were eaten, so the figures run high. How the figures are worked out.

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