A finger lickin’ good chicken curry with a minimalistic approach and just a few ingredients in play! Coriander and garlic rule the roost here, literally I have used coconut oil and lots of shallots for that authentic Kerala flavour. Adjust the usage of dried red chili to suit your taste. Goes well with piping hot steamed rice, or even better if you can do some ghee rice.

You need –

• Chicken – 750 grams
• Small onion – 1.5 cups, finely sliced
• Garlic – 8 large cloves, minced
• Curry leaves – 2 twigs
• Coconut oil – as required
• Salt to taste
• White vinegar – 1.5 tablespoons

To dry roast –

• Coriander powder – 2.5 tablespoon
• Dried chili – 5-6
• Fennel seeds – 1/2 teaspoon
• Turmeric-1/2 teaspoon

How to –

Wash and clean the chicken and cut into bite size pieces. Dry roast all indigents under “to dry roast”. Make a fine powder of the spices in your pestle n motor/spice grinder. Add the powdered spices to the chicken along with vinegar. Coat well and marinate about an hour.

Heat a heavy bottom pan or cast iron, add about 3 tablespoons of coconut oil. Add the sliced shallots, garlic, curry leaves and saute till translucent. Now add the marinated chicken, salt and increase the heat to high. Stir well and let the chicken slight brown. Now turn the heat to low-medium and add about a 1 cup of water. Cover and cook till the chicken is almost done.

Uncover, add little water if required and continue to cook till the gravy thickens and coats the chicken pieces well and chicken has cooked through.

Turn the heat off and serve with steamed rice or ghee rice. They all also team well with any Indian flat bread.