Skip to main content

Malabar Chicken Curry





Malabar Chicken Curry

Today's chicken curry is a Malabari delicacy. It is always a crowd-pleaser, and besides, there is nothing like an easy to make, heartwarming curry, relished with steamed rice. The chicken curry is creamy and delicious with coconut milk and smoothly ground masala paste as its base. It is a lusciously creamy chicken curry with a tropical flair. For exotic eating, experience, try pairing this curry with neypathal, pathiri, or ghee rice. Sounds exciting, huh? Then check the recipe, it is super simple to make.

This chicken curry is one of our family favorites. Spicy chicken gravy is one curry that I never get bored eating. But once in a while, love to try variations. This recipe is from the worn-out pages of an old cookbook. I obviously cannot comment about the authenticity of this recipe. The word authentic is confusing.  But I guarantee it tastes everything you want from an exotic curry- spicy, tangy, delicious, and rich with the fragrance of coconut milk, coconut oil, and curry leaves. It is a dish that defines Kerala cuisine. Chicken pieces are slowly cooked, in a rich gravy of crispy fried onions, pearl onions, coconut, tomatoes, earthy spices, and cashew nut paste. There are two ways you can make this -with fresh coconut milk or with roasted coconut. Toasting the coconut till golden brown and then grinding it into a paste enhances the flavor of coconut.
 

 
Malabar chicken curry is a treat for all chicken lovers. For best results, use a combination of onions and pearl onions. The trick to making a great sauce is to let the onions and tomatoes cook for at least 10-15 minutes until they are almost dry on your pan and oil separates. Let it cool down, blend until smooth.  Cashews and coconut are the key ingredients for a beautiful, creamy sauce. Cashew nuts also add a slightly nutty flavor and help thicken the sauce to that perfect consistency. The enticing flavor is from all the great spices of Malabar. It is a spice blend that you can make at home. Check the recipe below to make your Malabar garam masala.

To make Malabar garam masala
Green cardamom- 3-4
Cloves 3-4
Cinnamon stick 1 inch
Star anise- 1
Fennel seeds- 1/2 tsp
Black pepper- 1/2 tsp
Mace- 1 small piece
Nutmeg- a pinch

Gently toast the garam masala on a low flame till there is a nice aroma. Switch off the flame and let it cool down a bit. Make a fine powder and set aside. This spice blend is good for one chicken curry. You can double or triple the batch and store the leftover spice mix in an airtight container.



Malabar Chicken Curry Recipe
Ingredients
1)Chicken - 1 kg
Turmeric powder- 1/3 tsp
Salt - a pinch
Pepper powder- 1/3 tsp
lemon juice-1/2 lemon

For the gravy
Thinly sliced onion-  2 medium
Pearl onion- sliced- 3/4 cup
Tomato-2
Coconut grated- 1/2 cup
Ginger garlic paste-2 tbs
Turmeric powder- a pinch
Chilly powder- 2 1/2 tsp
(adjust according to taste)
Coriander powder- 1 1/2 tsp
Thick coconut milk- 1 cup
Thin coconut milk-2 cup
Cashew nuts- 10-12
Garam  masala powder- 1 tsp
Curry leaves - a few
Coconut oil- 3 tbs

Clean chicken, wash and drain and marinate with ingredients listed under (1) for about 10 minutes.
Soak cashew nuts in warm water for some time and make a fine paste. Gently toast the garam masala on a low flame till there is a good aroma. Switch off the flame and let it cool down a bit. Make a fine powder and set aside.

Heat a little oil in a pan and add onions and saute and fry till crispy. Add half a cup of grated coconut, and roast till golden brown. Add tomatoes and saute till the tomatoes are soft and cooked. Allow this to cool, and using a blender, make a fine paste.

Heat one tsp of oil and add curry leaves and thinly sliced pearl onions. Saute till it changes color to a golden brown. Add ginger-garlic paste and saute till raw flavor disappears. Now add the ground onion paste and simmer till it is reduced, and oil separates. Add turmeric powder, chilly powder, and coriander powder and cook for one minute. Add chicken and mix well. Continue mixing and frying the chicken for about five minutes till the chicken turns pale. Add the thin coconut milk. Cover and cook till the chicken is cooked. Add cashew nut paste and simmer for another two to three minutes. Finally, add thick coconut milk and simmer for a minute and switch off the flame. Enjoy with ghee rice, pathiri, or chapati.


You might also like,

Malabar Chicken Fry
Chicken Ghee Roast
Erachi Choru- Kerala Style Chicken Pulao
Ellum Kappa/ Kappa Biriyani
Potato Masala/ Sadhya Urulakizhangu Masala


Try it,

Happy Cooking!


Comments

  1. feel hungry, looking at this delicious curry..

    ReplyDelete
  2. Excellent and irresistible,makes me hungry..

    ReplyDelete
  3. Chicken curry looks rich and delicious.. Very inviting..

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yummy curry...looks inviting...love it dear...

    ReplyDelete
  5. Am drooling here.. Perfect with some pathiri

    ReplyDelete
  6. Having my lunch rightnow drooling over the recipe.. Yummy recipe, Suja!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Rich gravy and almost like rest style...Terrific work Suja..SO many are slurping here..haha.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Mouthwatering curry n color is gorgeous...

    ReplyDelete
  9. This is my fav. i am feeling hungry. Love the platter. Pls pass it to me dear.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Chicken curry looks fabulous, Suja.

    Today's recipe:
    http://sanolisrecipies.blogspot.com/2012/10/chicken-stew-bengali-style.html

    ReplyDelete
  11. shooo kappal oduneee... I'm hungry... yum yum curry

    ReplyDelete
  12. Makes me feel hungry. Looks very creamy and flavorful !!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Kothipikunna curry...yummy...Love with chapathi...

    ReplyDelete
  14. So appetizing. Delicious currry.

    www.indianrecipecorner.com

    ReplyDelete
  15. wow looks so delicious Suja, love it

    Priya
    Cook like Priya




    ReplyDelete
  16. Hi Suja,
    Chicken curry looks delicious..perfect with aything :)

    ReplyDelete
  17. Awesome looking curry...Bookmarked..

    ReplyDelete
  18. Chicken curry looks very delicious...perfect.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Wish i live near you, such an irresistible chicken curry..Inviting.

    ReplyDelete
  20. What a yummy gravy..I have tried out prawns with this.

    ReplyDelete
  21. my favourite. . . .looks delicious:-)

    ReplyDelete
  22. I want to taste this... Looks delish :)

    ReplyDelete
  23. wow suja...i am drooling dear. so thick gravy...love it

    ReplyDelete
  24. Chicken curry looks amazing. Will surely give it a try. But when to add the red chili powder and turmeric powder mentioned in the gravy ingredients?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Manju for pointing out,Please add it after oil separates from the ground onion paste. Once the raw flavor disappears add the chicken. Hope you will try this chicken curry :)

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

12 Best Traditional Kerala Snacks - Tea Time Snacks

 12 Best Traditional Kerala Snacks - Tea Time Snacks  Are you looking for some light bites to indulge during tea time? Well, you have come to the right place. Kerala cuisine has an exhaustive list of traditional tea-time snacks.  The list of ingredients is available in your pantry, making it possible to make these delicious snacks. Many of these snacks, can be quickly whipped up with rice flour, coconut, and jaggery. I am sharing a list of snack recommendations from Kerala that are easy to cook at home. These sweet and savory snacks are heartwarming and will make you nostalgic. It is by no means is a complete list. I am sharing some of the top picks of this blog in one space for easy reference. If you like to try, more recipes check my earlier post on 10 Quick and Easy Kerala Snacks/ Tea time snacks that you can make in under 20 minutes . Do you have any favorite snack that is simple and easy to make? I would love to hear about your favorite traditional snacks. Please share your idea

10 Quick and Easy Kerala Snacks/ Tea time snacks

Do you often look for snack ideas? I like to try new snack recipes. Freshly homemade, tea time snacks appeals to all ages. There are comfort and joy in munching a delicious sweet or savory deep-fried snack with hot piping tea. Some recipes make you nostalgic, and we keep coming back to it time and again. Kerala has an exhaustive list of traditional tea-time snacks. You never get tired of eating them! So here is a list of family favorites. Today I am sharing a collection of 10 easy to make snacks that you can make under 20 minutes . Do you have any favorite snack that is simple and easy to make? Please share your ideas, leave me a comment below Want to try more Kerala snacks, check my post 12 Best Traditional Kerala Snacks - Tea Time Snacks  Pazham Pori- Crispy Fried Sweet Plantain Pazham pori is a quick and easy tea time snack. It is made with ripe sweet plantains dipped in a batter and then deep-fried in coconut oil to crispy golden. Ingredients Ripe plantains - 3 medium Maida-1 1/

Kerala Black Halwa/ Karutha Halwa/ Rice Flour Halwa

Kerala Black Halwa/ Karutha Halwa/ Rice Flour Halwa December has finally arrived and it means it is almost Christmas time! How many of you look forward to the Season of Joy! My birthday also comes in December, so it is a double celebration for me :) How is the Christmas planning coming along for everyone? It is exactly three weeks for Christmas and I am planning to share a few recipes for the holidays this year. This is the first one I wanted to share with all of you -Kerala style sweet delicacy- a real nostalgia, the Black Halwa. Halwas has always amazed me with its simplicity, unique texture and taste. It is a gel-like sweet candy that you can never stop eating. When making halwa there is a time-honored cooking technique and halwa making is time-consuming. So people simply prefer to buy it from the shop. But making your own is a rewarding experience. Now many of the traditional sweets are forgotten or get overlooked for fancier ones in bakeries. But that is not the case w