Chicken Chetti(nad)

Hi,

Am back with a bang after a short break. It is probably easy to write as we cook, but hey someone has got to wash the vessels as well. ;-)

Chicken - wow...sooo many memories with this word. I still remember the very first time I tasted chicken (knowingly at least!!). Many might know that I was not "supposed" to eat chicken or non-vegetarian for that matter. There's enough stories for my clandestine efforts of eating chicken. Will save that for later.

Probably the very first time I've actually cooked a chicken dish was in Portland, OR. Once I saw a colleague of mine prepare this dish - Chicken Chettinad and I tried to replicate it after a few weeks. My friends then named the dish after me - Chicken Chetty or probably they named me after the Chicken. Damn...first name last name confusion. For a very long time "Chicken Chetty" was popular amongst the Pacificorp crowd in Portland and it tagged along for a long long time.

For a while it has become an interest of mine to prepare my own spice mix. Who needs the packet masalas!!

So this is what went in the masala:

Just in case you are not able to figure out everything from the picture, here's what went in:

• Dried Red Chilly 
• Fennel seeds 
• Poppy seeds
• Black pepper corn
• Bay leaves (careful not to overdo this)
• Cinnamon stick
• Coriander seeds
• Elaichi seeds
• Star aniseed 
• Channa dal  - in case you prefer to have a thicker gravy

Fry this mixture in a kadai on medium heat - no oil please. Fry them until you can smell the spices. Cool and grind it up in a blender. Try to sieve the ground mixture so you get a nice smooth powder.

Other Ingredients:

• Chicken (duh)
• Onions (preferrably red). Shallots are even better. However considering the cost, I stick to red onions.
• Tomatoes (roughly 1 or 2 less than the onions)
• Ginger-Garlic paste
• Mustard seeds
• Curry leaves
• Coriander leaves
• Turmeric powder
• Sesame oil

The method:

I prefer to blend the onions and tomatoes if I am looking for a nice gravy. You may skip this step if a consistent gravy is not on the cards.

1. Heat up the oil and sautee the mustard seeds and some curry leaves.
2. When mustard splutters add the onions (or the onion tomoato paste).
3. Continue sauteeing the mix until for about 2-3 minutes.
4. Add chicken, turmeric powder and ginger garlic paste.
5. After a few minutes add the masala mix along with salt and continue stirring.

Initially it looks like:

Add a good amount of water to this mix and cook for about 30 minutes with a lid on. Being chicken drumsticks, do need to allow extra time for it to cook. Uma prefers a pressure cooker, but me prefer to slow cook it. Continue cooking until the gravy becomes:

Garnish the dish with curry leaves and coriander leaves.

Best served with plain white rice.

Happy Cooking!!

C