Varutharacha Kozhi Curry - Chicken in Roasted Coconut Gravy

For a varutharacha kozhi curry, a naadan chicken meat will be the best tasting one than the broiler chicken. Naadan chicken needs more cooking time than broiler chicken. I was not aware of the different breeds /types of chicken, other than broiler and naadan /desi chicken. Now there is something called english chicken, where the meat is more like naadan chicken meat and need more cooking time and this meat is really good for making a curry like this.

Ingredients

1 kilo - Chicken, cut to small pieces

1 big - Potato, quartered

1 big - Tomato, quartered

2'' piece - Ginger

6 big - Garlic

1/2 cup - Shallots / Small red onion

2 - Green chili, slit in center

1/2 tsp -Pepper powder

2 to 3 stalks - Curry leaves

To roast & grind to smooth paste

1 to 1.5 cup - Freshly grated coconut

4 - Star anise

2 small stick - Cinnamon sticks

3 - Cloves

2 - Green cardamom seeds

3 tbsp - Coriander powder

1 tsp - Red chili powder

1 tsp - Turmeric powder

Garnishing

8 to 10 big - Shallots

3 stalks - Curry leaves

Coconut oil

Method

1 ) Wash chicken well and drain. Coarsely crush, ginger, then garlic, then shallots in a blender.

2 ) Heat coconut oil in a cooker, add curry leaves, then coarsely crushed, ginger-garlic- shallot and green chili. Fry in the oil till light brown in color. Add potato pieces, stir and fry for few minutes. Then add chicken pieces, pepper powder, tomato, salt to taste and stir and fry for a minute. Then add enough water to cook the chicken. Close the cooker with its lid and pressure cook for 15 minutes.

2 ) Meanwhile, heat a kadai /wok with little coconut oil, add grated coconut, star anise, cinnamon, clove, cardamom seed and fry/roast on low heat till the coconut turns deep brown in color. Now add coriander powder, red chili powder and turmeric powder. Stir and fry till the powders turn to a deep brown color on low heat. Cool and grind to a smooth paste with little water.

3 ) Open the cooker and check if the meat is well cooked. If not simmer and cook for little more time with lid open. Add the ground coconut masala to the the cooked chicken, add enough water for the gravy and bring to a boil. Add curry leaves and stir.

4 ) In the side, heat coconut oil in the kadai/ wok and fry the shallots to a deep brown color. Pour this browned shallots with oil on top of the chicken curry and garnish it.

Serve hot with rice, appam, pathiri or puttu.