It is no secret that I am a big fan of coconut milk. And also chicken. Whenever I tire of the fiery hot chili or black pepper based chicken curries, I turn to coconut milk for relief. This curry is not exactly the popular Keralan chicken stew, but close. This is somewhat a twisted creation, very easy to put together and quite delicious.
Whenever we think of chicken curries, steamed rice or rich pulaos come to mind as accompaniments. Or maybe rotis and naans. But I absolutely love chicken curry with dosa and idli. This coconut milk chicken curry goes excellently with idlis. The slightly sweet and mildly spiced curry goes perfectly with the somewhat sour idlis. Eating non-vegetarian curries with idlis is quite popular down south, at dinner parties and potlucks in most homes. I wonder why restaurants have not tapped in to the idea. Or maybe they have, I don’t know.
When the curry was done, I decided to temper it, with crisply fried onions, curry leaves and some crushed black pepper and cumin seeds. It added a lovely smokey flavor, the aroma of which will be familiar to tadka lovers everywhere.
You will need:
- Oil – 2 tbsp
- Whole spices – 1″ piece cinnamon, 2 cloves, 2 cardamom pods
- Onion – 1, finely sliced
- Ginger – 1″ piece, finely chopped
- Garlic – 4-5 pods, minced
- Green chilies – 1-2, chopped or slit
- Tomato – 1, chopped (or tomato paste – 1 tbsp)
- Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
- Red chili powder – 1/2 sp
- Coriander powder – 1 tsp
- Black pepper powder – 1/4 tsp (can use at the end, if you feel the curry needs more heat)
- Garam masala powder – 1/2 tsp
- Coconut milk – 1 1/2 ups
- Chicken – 3/4 – 1 lb, around 400g
- Potatoes – 1, cubed
- Water – 1/2 cup
For tempering,
- Oil – 1 tbsp
- Small shallots – 3-4 (or 2 tbsp chopped red onion)
- Curry leaves – a few
- Black pepper corns – 5-6, lightly crushed
- Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp, lightly crushed
How to:
- Heat oil in a pan. Add the whole spices and when they become fragrant, add the onions, ginger, garlic and chiles till onions are softened and starting to turn lightly golden.
- Add the tomato and saute till mushy.Add the masala powders and mix well.
- Add 1 cup of coconut milk and bring to a gentle boil. Then add chicken, potatoes and water, cover and cook till chicken is tender. Open the lid and add the rest of the coconut milk and simmer till curry is slightly thickened. Remember that it will thicken further once cooled.
- In a small pan, heat the oil for tempering, add onions and curry leaves and fry till the onions are browned. Add the crushed black pepper and cumin seeds towards the end. Add this tadka to the chicken curry, mix and serve.
Try this delicious chicken curry and wow your family and friends, with minimal effort!
Tell me, do you like coconut milk? Do you use it in cooking? Do share.
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This was a hit!!! Great recipe. – This will go on the rotation at my house for sure
Thank you, Jayne!!
Cooked this last night, loved it. Hubby loved it too. Was pretty easy to put together. I did let the chicken cook too long – as in too long! The result was chicken falling off its bone (which was good) with not much gravy (not good as was meant to be a curry). But that one’s on me not the recipe. I’m only sceptical about the calorie content given there’s coconut milk as usually I’d just add water. I also wasn’t a big fan of tasting the cumin seeds in the curry as it was added last – didn’t bother hubby but bothered me. I’ll definitely repeat again but I will substitute/cut down on the coc milk with water to see if there’s a massive difference in taste.
nice recipe thanks for sharing with us.
Looks delicious!
Thank you!
One of my favorites. Chicken in coconut milk curry. Oh yum.
Thank you, Patty!
Oh Anjana I may have to try this recipe this weekend. It looks so delish. I would love it if you would share this inspirational post at our WIW Linky party. I hope you can join us!
Paula
ivyandelephants.blogspot.com
Thank you, Paula. Let me know how it goes!
I just love Chicken Curry. I will have to try this. It even looks like curry. Let me explain. I have been in the US since 1972 and I have yet to find a decent chicken curry, well actually I did a couple of months ago after all this time. It looked a lot like that. I guess it was Thai food not Chinese. Hmmm anyway the secret is the coconut milk.
Janice
Thank you, Janice. I know what you mean. Most restaurant dishes underwhelm you sometimes. I hope you try this recipe. I’m sure you’ll love it!
wow, this looks so good:) love a good curry! Delicious!
Thank you. Do try it!
Thank you. I’m trying this tonight.
Let me know how it goes, Andi!
Oh my goodness, yum this looks so good! Pinning!
Gina
Pink Wings
Thank you, Gina! Do try it!!
I love curry!! Wonderful photos, it must be really delicious!
Thank you, Serena. It really is a mild, delightful curry. Try it!
It looks amazing!
What a lovely recipe! Love chicken curry and this version with coconut milk sounds super yummy. And what a lovely idea to have it with dosa & idli..never thought of that now! Your pictures are super as always, Anjana. I love the earthen pots too!
Thank you, Aditi! I love coconut milk in any curry. Having non-veg curries with dosa-idlis is pretty common at our place. You must try it.
As for the earthen-ware, I brought them bubble-wrapped from back home 🙂
So glad they didn’t all just turn to powder in our luggage… haha!
This looks do tasty Anjana! I haven’t tried a curry yet… I will save this recipe. You know how much I love coconut milk as well. 🙂
Thank you, Lori. This is a really mild curry to get you started. You can leave out the tadka/tempering if you don’t want it, the curry will still be good.
Do give it a try and let me know!