Chicken in roasted coconut gravy (Khozi varatharacha curry)

I was craving a chicken curry in a South Indian style, and this recipe satisfied that hunger. The curry is quite easy to make. The only step that needs care is roasting the freshly grated coconut. The fresh coconut tends to stick to the pan, so I roasted it on a low flame, stirring quite often so the coconut gratings were caramelized evenly. This is a very traditional and richly flavoured curry from the Mapilla community. The roasted coconut adds a wonderful caramelized flavour, and spices and chillies round off the curry with a nice lingering mild heat. The curry is quite decadent because of the coconut, so watch out for that aspect. However, this curry is delicious and occasionally makes for a wonderful treat.

Check out this additional Mapilla recipe for Malabar mutton curry and more on this culture on this blog. This cookbook is from the master of Mapilla cuisine, Umma Abdulla. The recipes are unique, and this wonderful cookbook describes the cuisine and cooking techniques of this culture. This book is a must-have for those who want a specialized cookbook on this cuisine.

For more recipes from this cookbook, click here.

1/2 lb chicken of your choice. I generally use a mix of breast, thigh and leg pieces

1 1/2 cups grated coconut

1 teaspoon anise seed

2 onions, sliced fine

1 1/2 tablespoons ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon chilli powder, or to taste

2-4 green chillies, halved, or to taste

2 tomatoes, diced into small cubes

3 cloves

1 cinnamon stick

8-10 curry leaves

2 teaspoons ginger paste

2 teaspoons garlic paste

1 tablespoon cilantro, minced

2 tablespoons ghee or oil

Salt to taste

Mix the chicken with the onions, ground coriander, chillies, turmeric, and salt, and marinate for 30 minutes or overnight, preferably overnight. Toast the grated coconut in a pan on medium heat until it turns light brown. Set aside to cool. Toast the anise seeds until lightly toasted; set aside to cool. Combine the coconut and anise seeds and grind to a fine paste in a blender using as little water as possible. You may need to scrape down the sides of the blender a few times to get a smooth paste.

Add the oil to a pot, add the whole spices, cinnamon stick, cloves, and curry leaves, and sauté for 1 minute. Add the ginger and garlic pastes and cook for another 1-2 minutes on medium heat until they smell aromatic and cooked. Add the coconut paste and sauté for 3-4 minutes until the oil begins to shine on the surface of the paste and it is well cooked.

Add the chicken and cook until it is lightly browned on the surface, about 5 minutes. Take care to stir often and not burn the spice paste. Add the tomatoes and the water and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for 30-40 minutes until the chicken is ver tender and almost dropping off the bone. At this stage, you should have a thickened curry that coats the chicken well. Taste and adjust for salt.

Serve hot, topped with the minced cilantro with rice or steamed bread.