Naatu Kozhi Kulambu / Village style Chicken Curry

Naatu kozhi kulambu is an all time favorite for most chicken lovers especially if you are from the south part of India. Its a spicy curry blended with all natural spices and coconut. The typical naatu kozhi kulambu normally doesn't comprises coconut, however i wanted the curry to be more thick and hence used it.The best combo while you make this village style chicken curry would be idly/dosa than having it with rice and thats the option for me and my bf too. This is a recipe which has a different taste as it has tamarind as well, however its optional if you don't want to add.

All i could imagine when i feel hungry is the cup of this curry with a egg dosa, fulfills the day! Its easy to make and tasty as well, but if you make this with the homemade masala powders it will give the best taste than making it with store brought masala powders. One important factor which makes the curry tastier is using a cornish hen / naatu kozhi, i bet it gives the best taste. You could get the cornish hen from most super markets. Its a must try recipe if you haven't tried it once!!! :)

Ingredients:

• Cornish Hen/ Naatu Kozhi - 2 lbs/ 1 1/2 Kg
• Tomatoes - 1 (largely chopped)
• Shallots - 1/2 Cup, Cut as two
• Tamarind paste or tamarind pulp - 2 Tspn
• Salt - to taste
• Coriander Leaves- To Garnish

To cook the Meat:

• Red chilli powder -- 1 Tspn
• Coriander powder -- 1 tTspn
• Turmeric powder -- 1/4 Tspn
• Ginger Garlic Paste -- 2 Tspn

To roast and grind:

• Shallots - 1/2 cup ,chopped
• Peppercorns - 3/4 tsp
• Cumin seeds - 1 1/2 tsp
• Fennel seeds - 3/4 tsp

To grind:

• Coconut - 1/4 cup
• Poppy seeds-1/2 Tspn

To Temper:

• Coconut - 1/4 cup
• Poppy seeds-1/2 Tspn

Method:

• Clean and marinate the chicken pieces with all the ingredients under “To Marinate with 1/2 Tspn of all the powders and keep it for an hour
• Dry roast all the ingredients under “To roast and grind” one by one and grind to a fine paste and keep aside
• Grind the ingredients under “To grind” and keep aside.
• In a hot pan add sesame oil and add all the ingredients under “To Temper”
• Add the sliced shallots and saute until turns translucent.
• Add all the rest of 1/2 tspn of powders,saute for 2 minutes until the masala smell goes from it.
• Add the marinated chicken pieces and sauté well ,until the chicken is well mixed with the masala powders.
• Add the ground onion paste and cook for a minute to combine well
• Pour the tamarind pulp and mix well, and cook it covered until the chicken is cooked well.
• After the chicken is cooked completely add the coconut paste and mix well.
• Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.

Tips:

"You could replace the poppy seeds with some dry cashews dipped in water if you dont want to use the poppy seeds.
As this is village style chicken its better to use the sesame oil however its optional, and if you want to change you could make it with other oil of your choice.
Adjust the spice powder as per your spice level.
Adding tamarind is optional however it gives a better taste."