Kozhi Thengai Kozhambu (Recipe form Dakshin Delights by Sanjeev Kapoor)

Kozhi Thengai Kozhambu - A delicious Tamil style chicken curry, goes well with rice / rotis / idiyappam / appam / pulao ... Recipe from Dakshin Delights by Sanjeev Kapoor !!

Serves: 4 - 5

Ingredients

Chicken -  1 kg

Turmeric powder -  1/2 teaspoon

Curry leaves - 10-12

Star anise - 2

Bay leaves -  2

Salt - 3/4 teaspoon

Cooking oil - 2 tablespoon

For the masala paste:

      

Coconut, scraped  - 1 cup (7 tablespoons)

Sambhar onions  (small onions / chuvannulli / shallots) -  25

Ginger - 1 inch piece

Garlic -  10 cloves

Green chillies -  10

Red chillies  - 2

Coriander seeds - 2 tablespoons

Method

Clean and cut the chicken with the bones into medium size pieces (approximately twenty to twenty four pieces). Rub in the turmeric powder and little salt. Cover and keep aside for half an hour.

Heat 1 teaspoon of oil and fry the masala ingredients till light brown. Cool and grind to a smooth paste with a little water.

 Heat the remaining oil in a deep pan, add the star anise and bay leaves and sauté for half a minute. 

Add the curry leaves and the marinated chicken. Sauté on high heat to seal the surface of the chicken pieces. Add the masala paste and mix thoroughly.

 Add one and a half cups of water (300 ml) and simmer till the chicken is almost cooked. Adjust salt to taste, stir well and simmer till the chicken is completely done and the gravy thickens to the required consistency.