Origin: India

Ingredients:

1. Chicken – 500 grams
2. Onion – 2 medium
3. Tomato – 2 medium
4. Green Chillies – 3 medium
5. Grated Coconut – 1 tablespoon
6. Curry Leaves – 12 leaves
7. Lemon – 1 small
8. Fresh Coriander – 1 teaspoon
9. Ginger Paste – 1 teaspoon
10. Garlic Paste – 1 teaspoon
11. Oil – 3 tablespoon
12. Black Pepper – 8 whole
13. Coriander – 1 teaspoon
14. Cumin – 1 teaspoon
15. Fennel Seed – 1 teaspoon
16. Dried Red Chillies – 3 medium
17. Cinnamon – 1 inch
18. Cardamom – 4 whole
19. Cloves – 4 whole
20. Turmeric Powder – 2 teaspoon
21. Kashmiri Chilli Powder – 1 teaspoon
22. Coriander Powder – 1 teaspoon
23. Garam Masala Powder – 1/2 teaspoon
24. Salt – 2 teaspoon

Recipe:

1. Wash the chicken thoroughly under running water and set aside.
2. Massage the chicken with a mix of salt, lemon, turmeric and chilli powder and let it marinate for thirty minutes.
3. Toast the whole spices in a frying pan on medium heat till it begins to impart aroma.
4. Add the grated coconut and sauté along with the spices till it turns light brown in color.
5. Cool the toasted spices and grind it to a coarse mix for later use.
6. Add oil to a frying pan and let it smoke gently.
7. Add the curry leaves and chopped onions to the pan and sauté till the onion turn soft.
8. Add chopped tomatoes along with coriander powder and ginger and garlic paste till the mix turns mushy.
9. Turn the heat up and add the marinated chicken to the pan.
10. Turn down the heat once the edges of the chicken start browning and cook on medium heat for another two minutes.
11. Keep adding little amounts of water if the mix in the pan turns too dry.
12. Add the ground spice mix to the pan and mix it thoroughly with the chicken.
13. Once the chicken is mixed well, add a cup of water and cover the pan.
14. Let the chicken cook on medium-low heat till cooked through.
15. Remove the cover and cook till the gravy reaches the desired consistency.
16. Check for seasoning and add a touch of garam masala and slit green chillies to the gravy.
17. Turn off the heat and transfer the contents to into a bowl.
18. Garnish with chopped coriander and serve warm with steamed rice, or even warm chapati or paratha.

Extras:

1. The cooking time depends on the cut of the chicken used, larger pieces take longer time.
2. Mace and star anise can also be used in the ground spice mix for additional flavors.
3. The traditional version is supposed to be spicy, but can be adjusted as per palate limits.
4. Additional garnishes like fresh coriander or fried curry leaves can be used for visual enhancement.