Wash and pat dry the chicken.
Add all the ingredients except tomatoes and coconut milk to the chicken. Rub all the ingredients well and let it sit for 20 minutes.
Heat a heavy kadai on high flame. Add 2 tbsp of coconut oil. Add marinated chicken. Fry on high flame, tossing continuously for 10-15 minutes until chicken is browned.
Add chopped tomatoes and coconut milk. Stir for 1 minute. Then simmer for 10 minutes until chicken has absorbed all the flavours and is tender. Stir occasionally. Add 1/2 cup of water if the gravy becomes too thick.
Check salt and add accordingly. You can add more green chillies if you like it more spicy.
Rest for 10 minutes and serve warm.
Coriander seeds - Crush coriander seeds in a mortar and pestle. Use coarsely ground coriander seeds in the recipe.
Coconut milk - Grind 350 gms of freshly grated coconut with 1/2 cup of water to yield and 1/4 cup of coconut milk.
Coconut milk alternative - You can use a good quality coconut milk powder to prepare coconut milk. Mix 4 tbsp of coconut milk powder with 1 and 1/2 cups of hot water.
Pepper - Use freshly crushed black peppercorns for maximum flavour.
Coconut milk - Grind together 350 gms of freshly grated coconut together with 1/2 cup of water to give around 1 and 1/4 cup of coconut milk needed for this recipe.