CHETTINAD CHICKEN

Chettinad is a region in the Shivaganga district of Southern Tamilnadu. It is known for it's spice laden and aromatic cuisine. The cuisine of this  region is famous for the use of a variety of spices in the dishes.... both vegetarian and non-vegetarian. The dishes are quite hot with the use of  freshly ground spices. They usually garnish a dish with a boiled egg. They use varied sun dried meats and salted vegetables. They generally use fish, prawn, lobster, crab, chicken, lamb, a variety of vegetables as the main ingredients. Most of the dishes are eaten with rice and rice based accompaniments [Wiki]. The spice lover in me will definitely be in love with Chettinad cuisine. I thought to try out it's Chicken Curry first. I explored through a number of recipes to cook an authentic version of Chettinad Chicken, a spicy and aromatic one. Finally, I zeroed in on this one with slight moderation. Moreover, I used less amount of chillies according to the taste buds of my men. Spicy does not always mean use of lots of chillies, in fact it's about all the spices taken together. Let us do it.

Recipe Courtesy : Indianfoodforever site.

The above picture was clicked in 2015, again I cooked and clicked in August, 2024. I have lost the original copies of the earlier pictures.

INGREDIENTS :

Chicken : 500 gm
Tomato : 1 [chopped]
Onion : 2  [chopped]
Ginger Paste : 1tsp
Garlic Paste : 2tbsp
Grated Coconut : 1/2 medium tea cup
Poppyseed : 1tsp
Fennel Seed : 1/2 tsp
Coriander Seed : 1/2 tsp
Cumin Seed : 1/2 tsp
Mustard Seed : 1/4 tsp
Cinnamon Stick : 1inch
Green Cardamom : 2
Cloves : 2
Star Anise : 1/2
Dry Red Chilli : 4-5
Curry Leaves : 8-10
Lemon Juice : 2 tbsp

Tamarind Juice : 2-3 tbsp
Turmeric Powder : 1tsp
Oil : 4 tbsp

METHOD :

Clean, de skin and wash the chicken. Apply salt, mix well and wash off after half an hour. 

Again marinate with salt, half of turmeric powder and the lemon juice. Keep aside for anhour.

Heat 1tbsp oil in a wok. Roast the shredded coconut, cumin-coriander-fennel-poppyseed, green cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, star anise, red chillies together.

Blend into a paste with a little of water.

Heat the rest of the oil in a wok. Temper with mustard oil and curry leaves.

Add the onions and fry till golden brown. Add the spice paste and fry for 2-3 minutes.

Add the chopped tomatoes and fry for 3-4 minutes.

Add the chicken. Stir well and cover.

Cover cook at low heat until the chicken gets tender, stir every 5 minutes.

Once the chicken pieces get soft, add the tamarind juice and give a stir.

Transfer the chicken to a serving bowl. Serve with rice or chapati.