CHICKEN CURRY

This Chicken Curry Recipe main dish is one of my favorites. It uses the ingredients common in South India and is similar to the chicken curry recipe known as Chicken Chettinad (or Kozhi Vartha Kozhambu).

Chicken Curry with Coconut
Ingredients:
1 chicken cut up
3 tablespoons Ghee or oil
3 cardamom pods
1 teaspoon fennel
1 2-inch piece of cinnamon stick (I prefer cinnamon bark)
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 medium onions, diced
1 teaspoon garlic minced (or paste)
1 teaspoon ginger, minced (or paste)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 tablespoon curry powder, or to taste
1/2 cup coconut milk (see note)
1 tablespoon garam masala
4 small tomato, diced
1 1-inch square piece of tamarind (see note)

Heat the oil in a frying or sauté pan and add cardamom pods, cinnamon, fennel and cumin seeds. Fry the spices for 1-2 minutes and add the diced onions and cook until wilted. Reduce the heat and add the garlic and ginger and sauté for another 2-3 minutes (if your pan is too hot you will risk burning the garlic). Add the turmeric, curry powder, chicken, tomato, garam masala and coconut milk and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and mix thoroughly and cover. Let it simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce thickens. Serve hot with rice.