Coconut Chicken Masala

Here is another green curry, and another delicious dish made according to Sailu’s recipe! This interesting dish combines old favourites, mint and coriander, with coconut, ginger and green chili, to produce a wonderfully aromatic curry that is sure to impress!

I am submitting this post to Weekend Herb Blogging, a blogging event started by Kalyn of Kalyn’s Kitchen. This week’s event is hosted by Astrid of Paulchen’s Food Blog.

 

Coconut Chicken Masala

RECIPE SOURCE: Sailu

PREPARATION TIME: 15 min

COOKING TIME: 30 – 35 min

SERVES: 5 – 6

CUISINE: South Indian

 

Ingredients:  

1 kg chicken, washed and cut into medium sized pieces

1 large onion finely chopped

1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste

1 tbsp coriander powder

2-3 green chillies slit lengthwise

1 1/2 tsp garam masala powder (2″ cinnamon, 2 green cardamom, 6 cloves finely ground)

fresh coriander leaves for garnish

salt to taste

1 1/2 tbsp-2 tbsp oil

Make a paste:

1 large onion

3-4 green chillies

1/2 cup fresh grated coconut

1 small bunch fresh coriander leaves

10-12 mint leaves

10-12 cashew nuts, soaked in 2-3 tbsps milk for 15 min

Method:

 1.  Marinate the chicken in coriander powder, turmeric powder, ginger garlic paste, 2 slit green chillies and few mint leaves for 10-15 min. Soak the cashew nuts in 2-3 tbsps milk for 10-15 min.

2. Make a paste of onion, green chillies, grated coconut, coriander leaves, mint leaves and cashew nuts. Keep aside.

3. Heat oil in a pan, add the green chillies and chopped onions and sauté till transparent.

4. Add the marinated chicken and cook on high heat for 4 – 5 min, combining the ingredients once in a while. 

5. Reduce to medium heat, add the ground paste and salt and combine well. Let the chicken cook in this paste for 8-10 min, uncovered. Cook till oil separates. If necessary, add water, to achieve desired gravy consistency.

6. Finally, add the garam masala powder, stir and cook for another 4 – 5 min. When cooked, garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve hot with white steamed rice, biryani or chapatis.

NotesI added a little lemon juice, a dash of cumin, and a little almond powder to thicken up the gravy.

Verdict

This lovely and aromatic dish is simply delicious! I will be making this again, and I recommend you to try it! The combination of coconut, mint and coriander leaves works wonderfully well. The mint is not overpowering, but it lifts up the dish, adding a little freshness to it.

It is rather similar to Hariyalli Chicken I made earlier, but the method is slightly different, and there are some extra ingredients. Also, there are no poppy seeds in this curry.

We thought that this dish is a little tastier than Hariyalli Chicken. One difference is that it is slightly richer. Hariyalli Chicken tastes a little lighter, fresher, and the flavour of herbs is more pronounced. Here, we felt that the flavours are better combined. However, both dishes are excellent! Try both, and let me know which one you prefer!  

 

 

 

 

 

 

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For more information on coriander, look here:

Wikipedia – Coriander

Encyclopedia of Spices – Coriander

Botanical.com – Coriander

Aidan Brookes’ Spices Archive  - Coriander

 

For more information on mint, look here:

Encyclopedia of Spices – Mint

Wikipedia – Mint

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