Tomorrow could be Eid day , if the moon is sighted ( other wise it would be celebrated on Tuesday), So Eid Greetings to all my muslim readers. Chicken is most often cooked on Eid day, I remember as a child we used to get live chickens sometimes a rooster which is slaughtered on Eid day. Sadly nowadays we cook with frozen chicken.
I have 4 aunts from my dad's side, I am most closest to the youngest three of them as they had been around while I was growing up. They would stay at our home when they come for medical purposes or educational purposes. Or one of them would come over to baby sit us, if our parents had to leave abroad, which is quite rare as getting my mother out of the house is quite a challenge.
My aunty,
K datha , is a is great cook........
I remember visiting her when I had just finished my school and sitting at the door way of her tiny kitchen or rather kitchen hut. Her little kitchen was a small little hut, kept separate from the main house, which had a
home made fire stove and a regular gas stove. It was like a little play room for me, and was fun watching her . She is like a mother hen, there is always some tea ( extremely sweet tea!!) and some thing to eat at her place. She showed me how to make this curry during the last time I went to
Kulhudhufushi last year.
Recipe : K dhatha's chicken curry500g chicken , jointed or cut into large pieces with bone, skin removed
2 large onion, or 3 medium ones , sliced
1 " ginger , sliced
4 cloves garlic sliced
8-10 peppercorns
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 - 1 1/2 " cinnamon stick
1/2 tsp tumeric
6-8 cardamon pods , ends snipped off
1/4 scotch bonnet chilli or 3-4 green chillies ( optional)
2-3 tsp curry powder ( use either
Maldivian roasted curry powder, any asian ( not Thai) curry powder, my aunt used madras curry powder).
2 tsp tomato paste
10 -12 curry leaves
1 (3") pandan leaf knotted or cut into large pieces
200 ml coconut milk packed ( see note )
200 ml water
oil or ghee
salt
juice of 1/2 lime
Place half the sliced onion, 6 curry leaves, pepper corns, cumin seeds, ginger , garlic, curry powder, tumeric and chillies ( if using) into a blender with a few tablespoons of water and a pinch of salt and grind to a fine paste.
Heat a pan with oil about 2-3 tbsp and add the chicken pieces and stir fry to brown a little, add the ground onion paste, along with cinnamon and cardamon pods and mix well.
In a measuring jug , or mug measure 100 ml of coconut milk and add water till 300 ml mark ( thats 200 ml water). stir in tomato paste and stir this into the chicken . Bring to a boil , lower heat, cover and simmer gently till chicken is cooked through.
While the curry is cooking , heat a separate frying pan with 2 tbsp oil or use ghee if you like for more flavor, and fry the remaining sliced onions, curry leaves and pandan leaf, stir fry till the onions caramelize.
Check the curry, taste and add salt to taste, stir n the caramelized onion mixture and stir well. Stir in the remaining coconut milk and cook , over a low heat for 1 -2 minutes. Squeeze the lime juice and remove from heat. Serve with a rice , some salad and dhal curry.
Enjoy!!
Note : We use different kinds of coconut products, so basically you need about 300 ml of thin coconut milk
(
fenkiru) and 100 ml of thick coconut milk (
boakiru)
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