Chettinad Chicken Curry
The dish that put Chettinad on the culinary map — chicken slow-cooked in a freshly ground masala of kalpasi (stone flower), marathi mokku (dried flower pods), star anise, long pepper, whole black pepper, fennel, and cinnamon, all tempered in sesame oil with curry leaves. Every element of the masala is ground to order, never pre-mixed, giving this curry an aromatic complexity unlike any other regional chicken curry in India.
Cuisines
Chettinad
Best for
Lunch
Dinner
Recipe
Prep: 15 min
Cook: 35 min
Total: 50 min
2-3 servings
Ingredients
| 500 grams | chicken, cut into pieces |
| 2 tablespoons | oil |
| 1 teaspoon | fennel seeds |
| 2 sticks | cinnamon |
| 4 | cloves |
| 4 | green cardamom pods |
| 2 | bay leaves |
| 2 | onions, finely chopped |
| 1 tablespoon | ginger-garlic paste |
| 2 | tomatoes, chopped |
| 1 teaspoon | turmeric powder |
| 1 teaspoon | red chili powder |
| 2 teaspoons | coriander powder |
| 1 teaspoon | black pepper powder |
| 1 cup | coconut milk |
| 1 teaspoon | salt |
| 2 tablespoons | coriander leaves, chopped |
Instructions
- 1 Heat oil in a pan and add fennel seeds, cinnamon sticks, cloves, cardamom pods, and bay leaves. Sauté until aromatic.
- 2 Add the chopped onions and sauté until golden brown.
- 3 Stir in the ginger-garlic paste and sauté for a minute until the raw smell disappears.
- 4 Add the chopped tomatoes and cook until they become soft and mushy.
- 5 Mix in the turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, and black pepper powder. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
- 6 Add the chicken pieces and sauté until they are well coated with the spices.
- 7 Pour in the coconut milk and add salt. Stir well and cover the pan.
- 8 Cook on medium heat for about 20-25 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the gravy thickens.
- 9 Garnish with chopped coriander leaves before serving.
Tips
For extra flavour, you can dry roast and grind fresh spices instead of using pre-ground powders.