Sunday, November 6, 2011

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!

      10 comments:

      Reva said...

      Chicken dish looks super yum... right for a quite relaxing evening..:)
      Yummy..
      Reva

      Unknown said...

      Chicken looks so inviting and yummy.

      Tina said...

      Looks spicy and mouthwatering...

      Jayanthy Kumaran said...

      wow...sounds scrumptiously tasty..
      happy following you..:)
      check out mine sometime..
      Tasty Appetite

      Anonymous said...

      Hey.... This is an excellent recipe.. I tried it just today and it has turned out great! Loved it... Simple, straight forward and actually ok for new cooks :) Thanks a ton :)
      Vini

      Recipeswap said...

      Very delicious looking chicken.

      priya said...

      mouth drooling recipe:):)luvd it..it really tasted awesome with roti..

      Yini said...

      I just made this,its my first time cooking and it came out amazing!!! It tasted delicious, with all the spices. If i can make this, then anyone can, cuz i have no experience cooking. Only thing i would recommend when writing recipe's is letting us know how many ppl this recipe serves and how much of every ingredient you are supposed to use.But other then that THIS IS FANTASTIC, SMELLED AMAZING AND TASTED EVEN MORE AMAZING! Thank you for sharing this with us <3

      Unknown said...

      Pressure cook the chicken for how much time or Whistle?

      Sujatha said...

      It depends on the cooker, Ranjith. For most of the cookers, 1 whistle is good enough because the chicken gets cooked again in the pan with the spices. You can alter your cooking time in the pan accordingly. Enjoy!