Traditional Kerala Chicken Roast
- 700 grams Chicken
- 1 tablespoon Ginger ((Freshly crushed))
- 1 tablespoon Garlic ((Freshly crushed))
- 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric powder
- 2 teaspoons Chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 4 tablespoons Coconut oil
- 1 stick Cinnamon
- 10 Cloves
- 2 tablespoons Garlic cloves ((Julienne))
- 4+4 Green chillies ((Each sliced diagonally into 4 or 5 pieces))
- 400 grams Onions
- 2 tablespoons Coriander powder
- 1 tablespoon Kashmiri chilli powder
- 2 Medium Tomatoes ((Sliced))
- 5 sprigs Curry leaves
- 1 tablespoon Vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Kerala garam masala
- 1 teaspoon Fennel powder
- 1 teaspoon Black pepper ((Crushed))
- 1/4 cup Coconut milk
Wash and pat dry chicken. Add the first five ingredients listed (ginger, garlic, turmeric, chill powder, salt) with a tablespoon of coconut oil.Rub the chicken well. Keep aside for a minimum of 30 min.
Heat a heavy skillet or uruli with 2 tbsp of coconut oil. Splutter cinnamon, cloves, garlic, 2 sprigs of curry leaves and four sliced green chillies.
Fry for a min on high flame. Add marinated chicken and toss on high flame for 10 to 15 min until chicken is lightly browned.
Add coriander powder and kashmiri chilli powder and fry for 2 min
Now add onions(thirummiyathu)Fry until onions are browned.
Add tomatoes, 1 sprig of curry leaves, rest of green chillies and vinegar.
Cook for 2 min on high flame, then lower the flame and cook covered.
Open the lid in between and stir. Let the vapour(any on the lid) fall into the dish.
Once the chicken is tender, open and increase the flame to high
Add garam masala, roasted fennel powder, crushed pepper, curry leaves and a tbsp of coconut oil. Stir for 2 min.
After 2 min, add coconut milk. Stir until chicken is coated in the masala.
Garnish with few curry leaves. Rest for 10 min and serve warm.
CHICKEN If chicken is refrigerated, bring it to room temperature before washing. Do not immerse frozen chicken in water to defrost. Wash and drain chicken well. Pat dry with kitchen tissue to save time.
COCONUT OIL I prefer to used cold pressed coconut oil in all my traditional Kerala recipes. This recipe is no exception
GINGER AND GARLIC I prefer Indian ginger and garlic for its strong flavours. Crush them just before adding to the chicken.
SPICES Use organic or home ground turmeric, chilli and coriander powders
FENNEL POWDER Roast the fennel lightly to release the oils and then powder. You can store the powdered fennel for upto a month in a tight container.
PEPPER Freshly crushed pepper adds more flavour to the dish.
COCONUT MILK Add few tbsp of water to ½ of grated coconut and grind. Extract milk, strain and use in this recipe. Coconut milk powder can also be used. Add hot water to 2 tbsp of coconut milk powder to make ¼ cup.