Coorgi Chicken Curry: Kodagu Delight

Tuesday, March 27, 2012, 15:52

The chicken from Coorg, the district fondly called Kodagu in Karnataka is a famous delicacy. This district is in fact popular for producing the best non vegetarian food in the state. The chicken curry recipe from Coorg has a very distinct taste, just like the culture of this interesting district. It is only 4 hours from Bangalore, but the chicken curry recipe originating here is totally different from the metropolitan mix. Coorg chicken dish is an authentic south Indian recipe.

Just like all other south Indian recipes, this chicken curry recipe too has coconut in it. The trick is in how much and in what way you use the coconut. As this is a gourmet recipe, the emphasis lies more on the skill than the ingredients used.

Ingredients For Coorg Chicken:

1. Chicken 500 grams
2. Large onion 1 (chopped)
3. Tomato 1 (chopped)
4. Garlic 5-7 cloves
5. Ginger 2 inch piece
6. Green chillies 4
7. Coriander seed 1 teaspoon
8. Poppy seeds 1 teaspoon
9. Cumin seeds 1 teaspoon
10. Cinnamon 2 inch stick
11. Coriander leaves (handful)
12. Red chilli powder 1 tablespoon
13. Turmeric powder 1 tablespoon
14. Coconut (grated) 1 cup
15. Tamarind juice 2 tablespoons
16. Salt as per taste
17. Oil 2 tablespoon

Procedure For Coorg Chicken:

Marinate the chicken with red chilli powder and turmeric powder. Keep it aside while you make the other preparations.
Fry the grated coconut in a dry pan. Roast it till it becomes brownish in colour. Let it cool for a while and then grind it into a smooth paste.
Meanwhile grind all the spices except onions and tomatoes to make the masala for this chicken curry recipe. Add a little water while grinding the dry spices.
Heat oil in a pan and saute the onions in it. When the onions turn golden brown, add the ground masala to it. Cook for 5 minutes on low flame until it smells cooked.
Add the chicken pieces to the pan and cook it in it's own juices for 5-7 minutes.
Add tomatoes, salt and tamarind juice to the pan now. Add 2 cups of water; cover and cook for 5-7 minutes.
Pour the coconut paste just 5 minutes before you remove the pan from the flame. Overcooking coconut makes it lose it's flavour.

You can serve Coorgi Chicken delicacy with any kind of rice or chapatis (flat breads).