Chicken Gravy/Curry

With the cook away on vacation for 4 long days, I had the perfect opportunity to try a new recipe for chicken gravy. Recipe credits directly go to my cook Nagamani and my mother for patiently writing it down when she narrated. I just get to prepare and take pictures.

Once the gravy was done and I opened the pressure cooker, the aroma and appearance (not necessarily taste) brought me memories of childhood summer vacations. We used to visit my maternal grandmother and family at a small village near Madurai. Only the word village is an understatement here, everything about their lifestyle and houses were otherwise. Anyways, so during those vacations she used to have a cook called Perumal to come home and make certain delicacies especially non vegetarian on occasions. His wife was the daily cook at home. Perumal was this tall, huge guy with a large large mustache – he made awesome veechu parottas and chicken kuzlambu. Now, that’s what came to my mind when I opened the pressure cooker. Officially, the chicken gravy recipe I have been searching for has been nailed. Yes, we nailed it! I tried for the last few years to get the floating oil on top of the gravy, in vain. But now I know. It tastes good, by the way.

The first picture is straight from the pressure cooker, second one after cooled couple hours later- when the flavors set in.

Anu’s chicken marinade

Chicken – 750 gms

Turmeric Powder – 1 tsp

Chilli powder – 2 tsps

Vinegar – 1 tsp

Small lemon – 1

Yogurt – 5 tbsps

Salt – 1 tsp

Wash the chicken in running water with turmeric, rub the turmeric on what seems like impurities and wash them away. Take a clean bowl, add the chicken pieces, 1 tsp turmeric, 2 tsps chilli powder, 1 tsp vinegar, 1 tsp salt, juice of a small lemon and few tablespoons of yogurt. Mix the marinade and chicken well with hands. Close it and set in refrigerator for few hours, if not overnight. The meat will absorb the flavors and tenderize completely.

Tomato puree

Tomatoes – 2 large

Ginger – an inch to inch and half long

Garlic – 5 large pods

Cashews – 10 large nuts
Black pepper corns - 10

Add the cut tomato pieces, ginger, garlic, black pepper and cashews (raw) to a blender and puree it to get a smooth paste.

Gravy

Oil – 3 tbsps

Butter – 1 tbsp

Onions – 2 large

Fennel seeds – 3 tsps

Turmeric powder – 1 tsp

Coriander powder - 2 tsps

Garam masala powder - 3 tsps

Green chillies – 2 large

Salt – 2 tsps

Coriander leaves/Cliantro – for garnish

In a heavy bottomed wide pressure cooker, add a couple tablespoons of oil. When the oil heats up, add a tbsp of butter. Once the butter melts, add 3 tsps of sombu/perunjeeragam/saunf/aniseeds/fennel. Fry them together for few minutes. That is the beginning of something good that’s waiting to happen.

Now add in the chopped onions and fry well. Add the marinated chicken and fry for about 10 minutes. Next fold in the tomato paste. Fry well till there is no raw smell of ingredients. Add 1 tsp of turmeric powder, 2 tsps of coriander powder and 3 tsps of garam masala powder (1-2-3). Fry well. Now add one or two slit green chillies. Mix well and add in 2 tsps of salt. Close the cooker and give pressure for 3-4 whistles. Open the cooker only after it completely cools down. Then garnish with cut coriander leaves and serve.

Those of you who read the recipe patiently till the end are let into the secret of the floating oil. It’s in the chicken.

I have tried very similar recipes with panner. Nope. Nothing close. Same recipe with boneless skinless chicken breast. Nada. Upped the oil and butter content. Zilch! Case in point is the chicken. You need good chicken with bones, not specific cuts – but a complete chicken. Skin does not matter. Note- I said aroma and appearance in the beginning – that is what comes out of good chicken. Taste of the gravy will change upon addition of things like coconut and poppy seeds (kasa kasa) – which is very typical of Madurai side recipes. Finally, it only tastes as good as what goes into it.