Manglorean chicken curry

 Manglorean Style Chicken Curry

Kori Gassi

 

now this is a recipe that's very close to my heart, but before I flow in my emotions I would like to very put the curry first. its a typical manglorean chicken curry that we also call kori gassi. kori being chicken and gassi is gravy. even though this is a typicl manglorean dish its very versatile, it goes with practically everything. rice, roti, idli, dosa, kori roti, pundi  ghee rice, pulao you name it and Im sure it would fit. and to top it all for all the people who really don't like coconut or coconut oil blah blah blah even they end up loving it. trust me I have tried it and its like a no fail recipe. people cant say if there's coconut because the masalas ground really fine so you hardly get a chance to crib and cry and the seasoning of coconut oil smells like heaven. very similar to ghee but better. I am sure there are those who don't agree with me tutting saying coconut oil stinks. trust me even though I am a manglorean myself even I believed it would stink but my mother being the ultimate manglorean Guru gave me a earful and gave me proof and I have been a convert since then.

firstly the coconut oil that is used for cooking is never your parachute and Shalimar oil. that's what people use for their hair. I don't even use parachute for hair. told you I am a total convert. I use the cooking coconut oil from Mangalore, in liquid form it looks just like water clean and see thru just little heavier than water. and in the more colder weather when it does get solidified its white and... how do I describe it ??? its hard but the textures kind of smooth. and trust me people its great for hair and skin. use it everyday on your skin and you will see the changes. total convert  :D.

this curry happens to be a big favorite of my family. this was the first curry that my daughter ate with rice as a baby, my perfect Sunday meal of my childhood was this curry with plain pulao or ghee rice and a nice salad. and till date it does remain my favorite meal. also its great for next days breakfast with roti or idlis or even dosa.

oh yes and  last but not the least the tamarind quantity. I am sure people who aren't familiar with tamarind would be a little hesitant to add a lemon sized ball but trust me once cooked you wont get too much of the tangy taste it mellows down. how do you know if you have added enough tamarind or haven't added enough well while grinding with coconut just taste the masala and if you get a kick in your tongue like when you eat raw mangoes you have added enough if not add a little bit more.  

ingredients for masala

5-6 red chillies

5-6 bedige or Kashmiri red chilies

4  tablespoon coriander seeds

1/4  teaspoon methi/fenugreek seeds

5 peppercorn

3 lavang/cloves

1 inch piece of cinnamon

1 teaspoon jeera/cumin seeds

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

2-3 garlic cloves

8-10 curry leaves

tamarind the size of a lemon ball

1 teaspoon haldi/turmeric

grated coconut 1-1.5  cups loosely packed.

 For curry

500 gms Chicken cut into medium pieces

4 medium potatoes cut in half

ginger garlic paste

refined oil 2 tablespoon

salt to taste

chopped dhaniya/coriander leaves for garnish

For seasoning

1 small onion chopped fine

curry leaves about 15-20

coconut oil 2 tablespoon (if coconut oil is not available then use ghee)

Method

first clean the meat and let the water drain. peel the potatoes and cut in big chunks, generally I just cut one big potatoe in half and that's that.

in a small fry pan dry roast the below given masalas together. just let them get heated well and once the mustard starts spluttering take off the heat. and place into a mixer grinder along with the turmeric, tamarind. gind it ito a coarse powder. then add the coconut and enough water, I start with one cup and add another 1/2 cup gradually as needed while grinding . and grind till its really fine paste. its not going to be a thick paste but please grind till its nice and fine, that's a key point. once ground keep aside

5-6 red chillies

5-6 bedige or Kashmiri red chilies

4  tablespoon coriander seeds

1/4  teaspoon methi/fenugreek seeds

5 peppercorn

3 lavang/cloves

1 inch piece of cinnamon

1 teaspoon jeera/cumin seeds

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

2-3 garlic cloves

8-10 curry leaves

now heat a kadai or thick bottomed pot with a wide mouth. place the chicken potatoes and ginger garlic paste and fry well. once the chickens been friend well and flesh turns white pour in the ground masala, wash the grinder with some more water and pour into pot and add salt. now let the curry nicely boil on medium to high flame. initially it will foam up but that's just the coconut getting cooked. once the gravy sort of settles down reduce the flame and cook till potatoes are done. adjust the gravy by adding water if you feel you need it to be a little runny. once they are cooked take coconut oil in a small fry pan and heat it once hot add finely chopped onions and fry till they are brown but not burnt once brown throw in the curry leaves and pour over the chicken curry cover and let it simmer for another minute then take off the heat. before serving you can garnish with chopped dhaniya leaves.