Kerala Chicken curry with coconut milk

 As the name says this chicken curry is made with coconut milk in Kerala style. It goes very well with Vellayappam or Puttu or Porotta or even bread. I made this curry to go with Vellayappam as dinner. Crispy lace edges and spongy center of Vellayappam soaked in chicken curry tastes so good that I love to have it at any time of the day. Vellayappam and chicken curry is my family favorite combo.

Ingredients:

1. Coriander powder- 2 tbs
2. Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
3. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
4. Cloves - 3
5. Cardamom - 2
6. Cumin powder - 1/4 tsp
7. Aniseed - 1/2 tsp
8. Black peppervorns - 1/2 tsp
9. Cinnamon stick - 1 inch piece
10. Oil - 2 tbs
11. Onion, sliced - 1-1.5 cups
12. Ginger, chopped - 1 tsp
13. Garlic, chopped - 2 tsp
14. Green chilli - 2 (optional)
15. Chicken, cut - 1/2kg
16. Thin coconut milk - 1 cup
17. Thick coconut milk - 1/4 cup
18. Coconut oil - 1 tsp
19. Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
20. Curry leaves - 2-4
21. Onion/Shallot, thinly sliced - 2 tbs
22. Salt to taste

Method:

1. Make a paste of coriander powder, chilli powder and turmeric powder in 2-3 tbs of water and keep aside
2. Roast cloves, cardamom, aniseed, cumin powder, peppercorns and cinnamon stick and powder it and keep aside
3. Heat oil in a pan and saute onion, ginger, garlic and chilli in it till onion is slightly golden in color
4. Add salt, spice paste and spice powder from step 1 and 2 and fry again for 2 minutes
5. Add chicken pieces and fry for 2-3 minutes
6. Add thin coconut milk to the above and cooke chicken with closed lid
7. When chicken is cooked well, add thick coconut milk and cook for 2 more minutes under low-medium flame. (don't bring the curry to boil after adding thick milk)
8. Switch off the flame
9. In a small pan add coconut oil and heat it
10. When coconut oil is hot, splutter mustard seed  and fry onion slices and curry leaves in it and switch of the flame
11. Pour the above to the chicken curry and keep the lid close for 10 minutes before mixing it

Serve hot chicken curry with appam!

I am linking this post to FiestaFriday#98 co-hosted by Sadhna @ Herbs, Spices, and Traditions and Natalie @ Kitchen, uncorked.

Soya Chunks Masala

Ingredients:

1. Soya chunks - 1.5 cups
2. cinnamon - 1 inch piece
3. Cloves - 1
4. Black pepper - 1
5. Cashew nut - 8
6. Coriander seeds - 2 tbs
7. Garlic, crushed - 4 cloves
8. Dry red chilli - 2
9. Coconut shredded - 1/2 cup
10. Onion - 1 medium size
11. Tomato, chopped  - 1 cup
12. Cooked Green peas - 1/2 cup (optional)
13. Coriander leaves, chopped - 1 tbs
14. Salt to taste
15. Oil - 2 tbs

Method:

1. Soak the soy chunks in hot salt water for 15 minutes
2. Heat a tbs of oil in hot pan
3. Fry ingredients from 2 to 8 for 2 minutes in medium flame and keep aside the mixture for cooling
4. In same hot pan, add coconut and roast for 2 more minutes and switch off the flame and move the pan from stove.
5. Using a fork or skewer, grill onion as a whole on stove top till outer layer is blackened
6. Remove the blackened outer layer of onion
7. Make a smooth paste of fried mixture, coconut and onion in a blender and keep aside.
8. Cook tomato in half a cup of water and make a puree out of it.
9. Strain the puree to get clear tomato liquid out of it
10. Squeeze out water from the soaked soy chunks and roughly cut them into small pieces
11. Heat a tbs of oil in a pan, fry soy chunks until it is lightly browned
12. Add the coconut-spice paste and clear tomato puree liquid with salt to taste and cook for 10 more minutes
13. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves!

This recipe is adapted from Tarla Dalal Recipes with minor changes to suit our taste and availability of ingredients.

Chettinad Mushroom Masala

Ingredients:

1. Button mushroom, sliced - 2 cups
2. Onion, thin slices - 1.5 cups
3. Tomato chopped - 1 cup
4. Ginger, chopped - 1 tsp
5. Garlic, chopped - 1 tsp
6. Curry leaves - 20
7. Bay leaf - 1
8. Cinnamon - 1 inch stick
9. Cloves - 4
10. Peppercorns - 6
11. Cardamom - 4
12. Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
13. Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp
14. Oil -  3 tbs
15. Coriander powder - 1 tbs
16. Chilli powder - 1 tsp
17. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
18. Garam masala - 1 tsp
19. Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
20. Salt to taste

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan
2. Fry spices from to 6 to 13
3. Add ginger, garlic and onion and sauté till onion is light brown
4. Add spice powders from 15 to 18 and add tomatoes sauté till tomato is mushy
5. Add salt, mushrooms and mix well
6. Cook for 10 -15 more minutes with closed lid
7. Add cumin powder and mix well
8. You may add some more curry leaves now
9. Add water if needed for the curry to reach the consistency you want. 

Chettinad mushroom masala is ready to be served with Roti/Rice

 

Brinjal Tomato masala

Ingredients:

1. Small brinjal - 10-12
2. Onion sliced - 1.5 cups
3. Tomato chopped - 1.5 cups
4. Sesame, toasted - 2 tbs
5. Fennel seeds/ perunjeerakam - 1/2 tsp
6. Coriander powder - 1.5 tsp
7. Chilli powder - 1 tsp
8. Green chilli - 3
9. Shallots/ chuvannulli - 1 cup
10. Ginger, chopped - 1 tsp
11. Garlic , chopped - 1 tsp
12. Oil - 2 tbs
13. Sugar - 1 tsp
14. Turmeric powder - 1/2tsp
15. Salt to taste
16. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
17. Curry leaves - few

Method:

1. Cut slits in brinjal without cutting through the ends
2. In a blender, coarsely blend 4 to 11
3. Heat oil in a pan
4. Add mustard seeds to it 
5. When mustard seeds splutter, add curry leaves to it
6. Sauté onion sliced in the hot oil until translucent 
7. Add turmeric powder and tomatoes and sauté again
8. Add blended spice mixture and brinjals to it and mix well
9. Close the pan with a lid and cook in medium high flame for 5-8 minutes 
10. Open the lid and add 2 cups water, sugar and salt in it
11. Cook with closed lid for about 15-20 minutes until brinjal is cooked well and water is almost dried. Stir 1 or 2 times in between
12. Once the brinjal masala has reached the consistency you like, switch off the flame 

Serve this masala with Biryani or Rotis. 

Paneer Jalfrezi

This is an awesome restaurant style paneer jalfrezi recipe. It is adapted from monsoon spice blog.

Ingredients:

1. Onion chopped - 1 big
2. Garlic chopped - 1 tbs
3. Ginger chopped - 1 tbs
4. Green chilli - 1
5. Paneer cubes - 2.5 cups
6. Tomato purée - 1 cup
7. Tomato - 2 medium, ripe
8. Red bell pepper - 1
9. Green capsicum - 1
10. Salt to taste
11. Tomato ketchup - 1 tbs
12. Sugar - 1 tsp
13. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
14. Coriander powder - 2 tsp
15. Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
16. Kasuri methi / dried fenugreek leaves - 1 tbs
17. Oil - 2 tbs
18. Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
19. Garam masala - 1 tsp
20. Lime juice - 1 tbs
21. Coriander leaves, chopped - 2tbs

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan
2. Splutter the cumin seeds in hot oil
3. Add onion, green chilli, ginger and garlic and sauté it till onion is golden brown
4. Add spices from ingradients 13 to 16 and toss it
5. Add tomato purée, ketchup, sugar and salt and sauté for 2 minutes
6. Deseed green capsicum, red bell pepper and tomato and cut in to strips
7. Add them to pan and mix well
8. After two minutes add paneer and cook for few minutes till paneer is cooked
9. Add lime juice, garam masala and coriander leaves and switch off the flame.
10. Move the paneer jalfrezi to a serving bowl and curry is ready for photo shoot!!😀

Note: I have added other veggies like cauliflower , beans and carrot too in it.. If you are adding veggies add it after step 5 and give it few minutes to cook.

The same recipe can be used for making Vegetable jalfrezi. Just drop paneer and add veggies instead.
Milk cream can be added if you need gravy for this dish.

Tangy Paneer Masala/ Tangy cottage cheese curry

Ingredients:

1. Paneer cubes/ cottage cheese cubes - 1.5 cups
2. Ginger chopped - 1 tbs
3. Garlic chopped - 1 tbs
4. Green chilli chopped - 1
5. Onion chopped - 1/2 medium size
6. Creamy yogurt/ Greek style yogurt - 1 cup
7. Tomato purée - made with 2 small ripe tomato
8. Tomato ketchup - 1 tbs
9. Chilli powder - 1 tsp
10. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
11. Coriander powder - 1.5 tsp
12. Garam masala - 1 tsp
13. Meat masala - 1 tsp
14. Kasuri methi - 1 tbs
15. Oil - 1 tbs
16. Salt to taste

Method:

1. In a bowl, mix ingredients from 7 to 14
2. Heat oil in a pan and sauté ingredients from 2 to 5 till golden brown
3. Add the mixture from bowl to the pan and cook in low flame for 5 minutes. 
4. Add paneer and salt to it and cook for 5 more minutes or till paneer is done
5. Add crushed kasuri methi leaves and switch off the flame
6. Transfer the curry to a serving bowl and top with a tbs of yogurt. 

Kuruma masala

Ingredients

1. Onion sliced - 1.5  medium sized
2. Tomato chopped - 1medium sized
3. Oil - 1 tbs
4. Garlic chopped - 1 tbs
5. Ginger chopped - 1 tbs
6. Fennel seeds ( perunjeerakam)- 1 tsp
7. Green chilli - 1
8. Coriander powder - 1 tbs
9. Chilli powder - 1 tsp
10. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
11. Garam masala - 1/2 tsp

Directions

1. Heat the oil and add fennel seeds
2. Add green chilli, ginger and garlic and sauté for 2 minutes in medium flame and make sure it doesn't burn
3. Add onion slices and sauté till golden brown
4. Add tomato and ingredients from 8 to 11
5. Close the lid and cook till tomatoes are well cooked
6. Put off the flame and make a paste of the mixture 

Kuruma masala is ready.. You can store the masala in fridge for future use.
Get Green peas kuruma Recipe

Dahi aloo gobhi masala / potato cauliflower masala with yogurt

This is a recipe which was put together 2 days back in an evening for next days lunch. My usual curry to go with chapathi has onion in it.  But I couldn't find any good onion on that day, so was forced to come up with a new recipe with 3-4 shallots I had in my kitchen along with other veggies. After tasting the curry my mom commented that it tastes very nice. So I thought I should add the recipe in my blog.

Here goes the recipe. 

Ingredients:

1. Cauliflower florets - 2 cups
2. Potato cubes - 2 cups
3. Shallots, sliced - 4 medium size
4. Green chilli - 1
5. Ginger chopped - 1 tbs
6. Garlic chopped - 1 tbs
7. Coriander powder - 2 tsp
8. Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
9. Chaat masala - 1 tsp
10. Mustard - 1 tsp
11. Oil - 2 tbs
12. Creamy yogurt - 3tbs (I used Greek style yogurt which is packed with protein and is very creamy and thick)
13. Curry leaves - few
14. Salt - to taste

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a pan and splitter mustard and curry leaves in it
2. Add ingredients from 3 to 6 and sauté for 2-3 minutes until the raw smell is gone
3. Add potato and washed cauliflower and sauté for 2-3 minutes more
4. Add ingredients from 7 to 9 and sauté again
5. Sprinkle some water and close the lid to cook the vegetables. 
6. Once the vegetables are almost cooked, Reduce the flame to minimum, then add the creamy yogurt and mix well
7. Cook for 5 more minutes and switch off the flame. 

The curry is ready to be served.  It goes well with rotis and rice. 

Kadai vegetable

Kadai vegetable/chicken/paneer is one of our favourite restaurant dish. This semi gravy dish tastes great with rotis or pulav rice.
This recipe yields you restaurant style kadai vegetable curry. Use the same recipe for kadai chicken or kadai panner by replacing vegetables with chicken or paneer. I will soon give you a new post on how to make paneer at home :)

Ingredients:

1. Onion chopped - 1 medium size
2. Mixed vegetable cut into cubes - 2.5 cups ( I used cauliflower, carrots, beans, fried paneer and green peas)
3. Capsicum cut into cubes - 1
4. Coriander seeds, coarse grinded - 1 tsp
5. Fennel powder - 1/2 tsp
6. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
7. Chilli powder - 1 tsp
8. Kasuri methi - 1 tsp
9. Oil - 1 tbs
10. Salt - to taste
11. Coriander leaves chopped - 2 tbs
12. Kadai gravy masala - 1 recipe

Direction:

1. Sauté chopped onion till golden brown using the oil in a hot Kadai.
2. Add Kadai gravy masala recipe and saute for 5 more minutes
3. Add  ingredients from 4 to 7 and saute for 2 more minutes
4. Add salt, vegetables, capsicum and saute for 3 more minutes
5. Add 1/2 a cup of water, Close the lid and cook until the vegetables are almost cooked
6. Add crushed Kasuri methi leaves and cook for few more minutes until the gravy is thick enough.
7. Add coriander leaves and take off from the flame.

Try this recipe and do let me know how it comes out for you.

Kadai Gravy Masala

Below recipe gives you an easy way to make  kadai gravy masala which you can store in fridge for future use to make any kadai masala dish like kadai paneer, kadai vegetable or kadai chicken. Make it during the weekend and prepare yummy kadai dishes during weekdays in less than 30 minutes..  :)

Ingredients:

1. Dried red chilli, deseeded - 8nos
2. Coriander seeds - 1tbs
3. Chopped garlic - 2tbs
4. Green chilli - 2nos
5. Kasuri methi leaves - 1tbs
6. Garam masala - 1tsp
7. Chopped ripe tomato - 3cups
8. Vegetable oil - 2tbs

Directions:

1. Dry roast red chilli and coriander seeds in a pan for 30 seconds to 1 min and powder it in a blender
2. Heat vegetable oil in a pan. Once hot, sauté garlic in it for 30 seconds. Add green chillies and sauté for another 30 seconds in low-medium flame.
3. Add chilli-coriander powder and sauté for another 30 seconds
4. Add chopped tomatoes, stir and close the pan for 10 minutes or till tomatoes are cooked and can be mashed.
5. Rub dry methi leaves between your palm and add to tomato mix.
6. Add garam masala and cook for 1 minute more and take off the pan from stove.
7. Once masala is cool, you can store it in a closed lid container in fridge for future use.

Here you go with the Kadai vegetable recipe

Spicy Brinjal Dal Curry

Ingredients

• 2 medium sized brinjal


• 1/2 cup toovar dal


• 1 medium sized onion


• 1 tomato


• 1 tbs chopped ginger


• 1 tbs chopped garlic


• 1 tsp jeera


• 1 tsp chilli powder


• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder


• 2 tsp coriander powder


• 2 tbs oil


• 2 tbs coriander leaves chopped


• 1 cardamon


• 2 cloves


• a pinch of cinnamon powder


• 1 cup chicken stock/1/2 chicken cube/small chicken pieces


• salt to taste

Procedure

• Cook dal very well


• In a kadai heat the oil and add jeera to it.


• Add chopped onion,sliced brinjal, ginger and garlic and saute them well till brinjal turns to transparent color.


• Add turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder, cinnamon,clove and cardamon and saute for few more minutes.


• Add chopped tomato and saute for 2 more minutes and add chicken stock / cube/ chicken pieces.


• If chicken cubes is being added, add 1 cup of water also.


• Add salt to taste.


• Once the chicken pieces are cooked well and everything is blended properly, add cooked dal to the same and boil for some more time.


• When the curry reaches the required consistency, add the chopped coriander leaves and take off the kadai from heat.

Note: If chicken cubes are being added, check the salt before adding as the cubes are already salty.

Spicy brinjal dal curry is ready to be served with chapathi, ghee rice or biriyani.:)