A guest post for a beautiful blog and lovely friend…

It’s not been long since I met Shey of JUST NOT THE CAKES but in this short span of interactions, she comes across as a warm and affable person. Truly blogging has got me connected to some wonderful like-minded people. Her space has some lovely recipes and she also share some great Sri Lankan cuisine.

The recipe I share today is the famous south Indian recipe “Mutton Chukka”. So please hop over to Shey’s space to read more of the recipe I share.

Thank you Shey for having me over and I enjoyed doing the post for you.

Kozhi Varuval / Chettinad pepper chicken

September 2, 2013February 21, 2014 | Rekha Vengalil

This spicy and so flavorful dish is from Chettinad, Tamilnadu, south of India. Chettinad is famous for their use of spices and very aromatic dishes. If you would like to read more of then click here .

I am an absolute lover of Chettinad cuisine and this being one of my favorite. I love this with my rice and rasam. Please adjust the quantity of pepper and green chili to suit your taste and I would also recon to use freshly ground pepper. I have used store brought tomato paste but if using whole tomato then make sure to cook till mushy before you add the chicken.

You need –

Chicken – 750 grams , cleaned and cut into bite size pieces
Shallots – finely chopped, 1 cup
Green chili – 1, slit length-wise
Ginger and garlic paste – 1 tablespoon each
Tomato paste – 2.5 teaspoon
Freshly ground pepper (coarsely) – 3 teaspoons
Coriander powder – 1 tablespoon
Turmeric powder – 1/4 teaspoon
Fennel powder – 1/4 teaspoon
Garam masala – 1/2 teaspoon
Curry leaves – 2 twigs
Oil – 1 tablespoon or as required
Salt to taste

How to –

Heat oil in a pan and add the finely chopped shallots. Cook till translucent. Add in the ginger-garlic paste, green chili and continue to cook till the raw smell of ginger-garlic is gone and the onions turn golden brown.

Add 2.5 teaspoons of ground pepper (reserve 1/2 teaspoon for the last) , coriander powder, turmeric powder, fennel powder and cook till the oil start to separate. Add the tomato paste (add a tablespoon of water if the mixture too dry), salt to taste and cook briefly for a few seconds. Add the chicken pieces and mix well to coat. Add about 1/4 cup water and curry leaves; cover and cook till done.

Uncover, continue to cook till the gravy is almost dry and stirring continuously . Now sprinkle the remaining 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper and garam masala and mix well.