Keralan Chicken Curry
This chicken curry hails from the Indian state of Kerala; known for its use of black pepper in curries. This recipe might be in my top 5 favorite foods I’ve ever made. It also has more steps in preparation than any other recipe on this site. Honestly, it’s kind of a pain in the ass to make. It is all worth it once you have the finished product. What is unique about this curry is the tempered oil that is poured over it. Simply heat up coconut oil in a small skillet. Once it is hot, turn the heat off. Toss in the curry leaves, green chilies, and grated coconut. Let them infuse the oil for just 30 seconds. Pour the oil directly over the curry. It adds another dimension of flavor to this already complex curry.
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1/2 tsp Kashmiri chili powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
Spice Paste
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1/2 tsp Kashmiri chili powder
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 4 tbsp water
Keralan Chicken Curry
- 2 lbs bone in chicken thighs cut into 4
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 tsp black mustard seeds
- 10 curry leaves
- 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
- 2 cups shallots chopped
- 2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
- 2 small tomatoes finely chopped
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1 tsp sugar
- salt to taste
- 1 cup water
- 1 tsp fennel powder
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp cilantro chopped
Tempering Oil
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 5 curry leaves
- 2 green bird’s eye chilies split in half lengthwise
- 2 tbsp fresh grated coconut
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken with the marinade ingredients for 8 hours, preferably overnight.
- Mix all of the spice paste ingredients together. Set aside.
- Heat up cooking oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, and curry leaves. Sizzle in the oil for 30 seconds.
- Add in the shallots. Cook down for 20 minutes until brown.
- Add in the ginger garlic paste and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the spice paste to the pan and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add in the chopped tomatoes. Fry for 5 minutes. Mash with the back of a spoon.
- Stir in the marinated chicken. Fry for 8 minutes, making sure th chicken is evenly coated. Season with the white wine vinegar, sugar, and salt. Cook for 2 more minutes.
- Pour in the water. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Season with the fennel powder and black pepper. Simmer for another 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and let rest.
- Heat up 1 tbsp of coconut oil in a small sauté pan over medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, turn off the heat and add in the curry leaves, birds eye chilies, and grated coconut. Let the ingredients infuse in the oil for 30 seconds.
- Pour the tempering oil over the curry.
