Spicy Chicken - Andhra Style

There are certain recipes I know I just have to try when I hear about them. Any recipe that focuses on authentic Andhra or Chettinad food, I'm ready to take a stab at it. I know it will satisfy my taste buds even if it doesn't turn out to be perfect. Everytime I visit India, I make sure I enjoy both Andhra and Chettinad foods in my favorite restaurants, especially the Andhra meals in a thali.

I am not against those recipes featuring extensive instructions or with ingredient lists spreading across pages, but I am sure I'm not trying one of those on a cold and dark autumn evening like today. With darkness hitting at 6 in the evening today, I'm all settled for a simple dinner and a movie. This is a traditional chicken dish from Andhra Pradesh and goes well with any kind of main dishes like rice or roti. The simple ingredients and quick preparation lets me relish this dish often at home. I have been planning to post this recipe for a long time and finally had time to post it today. Generally, this dish tastes awesome if its made a day before since the spicy flavors are enhanced over time and tastes delicious.

Ingredients:

Chicken - 1 lb (I prefer chicken with bones and a little bit of skin)

Ginger/Garlic paste - 2 tsp

Onions - finely chopped - 1 cup

Turmeric - 1/2 tsp

G.chillies - 4

Chilli Powder - 1 tsp (optional)

Corriander leaves - 1/2 cup, chopped

Freshly ground spice powder - 2 tbsp (recipe below)

Procedure:

Pressure cook the chicken pieces along with 2 tbsp chopped onions, ginger/garlic paste, turmeric and salt. Just add enough water to cook the chicken. Since this is not a gravy dish, too much water may alter the texture and taste of the chicken.

Meanwhile, to make the spice powder, shallow fry 1 r.chilly, 1 tsp black peppercorns, 1 tbsp corriander seeds, 2 inch cinnamon stick, 4 cloves, 2 cardamoms in a tsp of oil until nice aroma arises. Cool and grind to a fine powder. Set aside. I usually make this extra and store in refregirator for later use. This spice mix can be used for most of the non-veg dishes.

Heat 2 tbs oil in a wide pan, fry the remaining onions, g.chillies and curry leaves until the onions are nicely fried.

Add the pressure cooked chicken along with the stock and mix well. Add chilli powder and let it boil until it becomes a thick gravy. Increase the heat, add the prepared spice powder and corriander leaves and stir fry gently until all the gravy dries and the chicken is roasted well. If desired, add 1/2 tsp of black pepper powder at the end after switching off the heat, mix and cover it until served.

A very flavorful chicken dish is ready!