Thanjavur Spicy Chicken Curry

Ingredients:

Chicken - 1 Kg with bones

Onions - preferably shallots one cup chopped roughly ( for grinding)

Onions - preferably shallots one cup chopped roughly ( for seasoning)

Tomato - 2 big ripe ones chopped finely

Ginger Garlic Paste - 2 tablespoons

Red Chilli Powder - 1 tablespoon

Coriander Powder - 3 tablespoons ( always use 1:3 ratio chilli powder and coriander powder)

Tumeric Powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Cumin seeds- 2 tablespoons

Fennel Seeds - 1 tablespoon

KhusKhus / Poppy Seeds - 1 tablespoon

Bay leaves- 1 peice

Cinnamon- 1" stick

Cloves -3 nos

Green cardamon - 2 nos

Grated fresh coconut - 1/2 cup

Curry leaves a handful

Coriander leaves to garnish

Oil as required

Salt as required

Method:

For Grinding:

Take a tawa and heat 2 tablespoon oil and add 2 tablespoons cumin seeds and curry leaves and once it splutters add one cup onion and fry well till the onions turn slight brown and then add one tablespoon fennel seeds and one tablespoon khus khus and also add the grated fresh coconut 1/2 cup and mix well for just a minute and remove from fire , cool and grind it into a very fine paste and keep aside.

For Curry:

Take a pressure cooker or use a thick bottomed vessel and add 5 tablespoons oil, once hot add a peice of bay leaf, 3 cloves, 2 cardamons, a peice of cinnamon stick and fry well then add 1/4 cup of finely chopped onion or shallots and curry leaves, once the onions starts turning brown, add 2 tablespoons of ginger garlic paste and fry well till starts sticking to pan and then add the 2 finely chopped tomatoes and to it add tumeric powder 1/4 teaspoon, and add enough salt ( salt will allow the tomatoes to cook quickly) and once the oil starts leaving the tomatoes, add 1 tablespoon chilli powder and 3 tablespoons coriander powder and then add the chicken peices immediately and saute them well for 5 minutes without adding water.

When the chicken turns white then add the grinded masala and adjust water and salt and close the lid and let the chicken cook till done. Dont add too much of water and the gravy should be not very watery nor very thick.

For Tarka:

Transfer to bowel and if you wish you can take a small pan and add 2 tablespoon oil, add 1/2 spoon mustard seeds , 3 whole red chillies and a bunch of curry leaves and pour it over the curry to get a fabulous texture on the curry and the flavor is really amazing.

This curry can also be done with mutton and I personally feel the mutton curry is more yummier than the chicken curry using this recipe.

CHICKEN BREAD

Ingredients for Dough:

Maida or All purpose flour - 4 cups /16 OZ (1/2 Kg)
Milk Powder - 2 Tablespoon
Cooking Oil - 1/4 cup
Instant yeast - 1 tablespoon
Castor Sugar - 1 teaspoon
Salt- 1 teaspoon leveled
Egg -1
Lukewarm water

Dough Mixture Preparation:

Take a vessel add the flour and add all the ingredients as measured above, add yeast, milk powder, cooking oil, castor sugar, salt , egg and knead it well with lukewarm water to a chappati dough consistency and keep it in a greased vessel and brush some oil over the dough and keep it covered in a warm place for one hour till the dough becomes double.

Stuffing Chicken Mixture:

Ingredients for stuffing:

Chicken 1/2 KG boiled with salt and shredded ( or use boneless peices and boil with salt and shred)

Butter- 3 tablespoon

Onion- One big onion finely chopped

Maida or All purpose flour - 2 tablespoon

Salt- one tablespoon

Black pepper powder- 1 tablespoon

Green chillies- 4 nos chopped finely

Garam masala Powder -1/2 teaspoon

Milk- one cup

Tomato Sauce- 1 tablespoon

Coriander leaves- Finely chopped 2 tablespoons

Method to prepare stuffing:

• Take a non stick pan or tawa , heat it and add 3 tablespoon butter and add the chopped onion and fry till it turns pink and then add 2 tablespoon maida and mix well for a minute and then add salt, pepper powder, green chillies , garam masala powder and mix well and add one cup milk, and mix well in low fire till it becomes thick and now add the boiled shredded chicken and mix well for 2 minutes and then add tomato sauce and coriander leaves and mix well and then remove from fire. The mixture should be thick and not watery.

Dough Stuffing:

Ingredients:

One egg

one tablespoon til/sesame seeds

Kead the doubled dough well using hands for a minute and then take a big handful size of dough and roll the entire flour into oval shape with 1/4 inch thickness like the thin crust pizza and then make small cuts on the sides of the rolled dough till the end on both sides and keep the prepared mixture in between and start overlapping the cuts from both the sides as shown in the picture and once done , brush the bread with egg and sprinkle some til /sesame seeds on top of the bread and keep it aside for another half an hour to rise and then bake it 200 degree centigrade for 20 minutes till it browns on the top .

You can also make make small croissants using the same filling and bake in the same procedure.

You can also do your own kind of stuffing with vegetables or eggs or mince meat as per your choice but see that the stuffing stays thick.

It is a worth trying dish which suits for partys and dinners :)