Spicy Chicken Curry with Potatoes

Spicy Chicken Curry with Potatoes/Chicken curry/Chicken curry with potatoes/Spicy Chicken Curry

There are many variations of chicken curry in South Indian cuisine, but Chicken Curry with potatoes is possibly the most common in our household which I often make from scratch.  There are many Chicken Curry recipes which each adapts, and enhances it accordingly. The underlying flavors of this chicken curry is a mix of gentle South Indian spices which is gently roasted with coconut and cashews to give this curry a spicy, aromatic and remarkably scrumptious… There is no hard-and-fast rule to make this curry, use your favorite spices and add few tomatoes to make a delicious tasting Spicy Chicken Curry for a comforting Sunday`s meal.

Ingredients:

1. 2lbs chicken cut into bite sized pieces
2. 5 to 6 bite sized potatoes
   
3. 3 teaspoons whole Dhania/coriander seeds
4. 2 teaspoons pepper
5. 1/2 teaspoon fennel/Sombu
6. 1/2 teaspoon cumin/jeera
   
7. 2 cloves
8. a small piece cinnamon
9. 1/2 cup grated coconut
10. few cashews ( about 5 to 6 )
11. 1 cup finely chopped onion
12. 2 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
13. 2 cups finely chopped tomatoes
14. 3 teaspoon chilli powder
15. 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
16. few curry leaves
    
17. salt to taste

Procedure:

1. Clean and wash the chicken pieces and apply turmeric powder, salt and set aside.
2. In a small kadai/pan heat a teaspoon of oil and add the coriander, pepper, cloves, cinnamon, fennel, cumin and finally coconut. Remove when the moisture from the coconut leaves. When cool, grind it to a fine paste with cashews. Set aside.
3. In another pan, heat a teaspoon of oil and add the tomatoes  and saute until the tomatoes are soft. Simmer for about 10 minutes or until the the tomatoes comes to a pickle consistency.
4. In a heavy bottomed vessel, heat about 4 to 5 tablespoons of oil. Sauté the onions until soft, add ginger garlic paste and curry leaves.
5. Sauté for few more minutes and add the marinated chicken, chilli powder and salt, sauté well until the chicken is no longer pink. Now add the tomatoes, potatoes and the ground masala and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 15 or 20 minutes and the oil separates.
6. Garnish with cilantro .

Serve with rice, roti or paratha. Goes well with Dosai too.