Chicken Chettinad

The brown fiery curry from South India. I used to make these often simply because its a fabulous dish, what with all the peppercorns and chillies and curry leaves this Chettinad dish is simply wonderful on a cold night with white rice.

Ingredients:

• Chicken - 500 gms (cut into small pieces)
• Onions - 2 (chopped finely)
• Curry leaves - 1/4 cup
• Milk -  1/2 cup

       for paste 

• Tomatoes- 2
• Ginger - 1 inch piece
• Garlic - 5 flakes
• Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
• Corrainder seeds - 1 tsp
• Fennel seeds - 1 tsp
• Peppercorns - 1 tbsp
• Dry red chillies - 4
• Green cardamons - 1
• Cloves - 2 
• Salt - 1tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1tsp

Method:

• In a kadhai take 3 tbsps of oil and saute the onions and the curry leaves over a medium heat with a bit of salt to soften the onions quickly.
• Meanwhile grind the ingredients given under the paste to form a smooth paste adding quarter cup of water if required. 
• Add the chicken pieces to the onions and saute well until the chicken starts to change colour. 
• Pour the paste to the onion and chicken and cook covered for about fifteen minutes.
• Add 1 cup of water to the gravy and cook keeping the lid closed until the chicken pieces are done. 
• Add the milk at the last stage and take off from heat after checking for salt.
• Serve hot garnished with freshly crushed peppercorns.

Hot and spicey chicken chettinad is ready. The adding of milk is optional if you want u can just leave it. Believe me it still tastes good. You can also eat it with naan or as we had it yesterday with tortilla wraps...... It had been a long time since I made this curry and thought of making it yesterday as a simple celebration of my little girls first ever trip to cinema (Enthiran).