Natu Kodi Pulusu

Country chicken tamarind curry — small pieces of native (natu) country chicken, far smaller and more muscular than broiler chicken, marinated in turmeric and salt, fried in generous sesame oil with whole spices (cloves, cinnamon, cardamom), fried onion, ginger-garlic paste, dried red chilli, and a freshly made masala paste until the oil separates, then tamarind extract added and the whole simmered for forty minutes until the chicken is completely tender and the gravy reduces to a thick, dark-red, intensely flavoured sauce. The country chicken requires long cooking but develops a depth of flavour that broiler chicken cannot match. The Telangana natu kodi pulusu uses a heavier spice hand and more tamarind than the Andhra version; the result is markedly more intense and sour. The centrepiece of festive Sunday meals.