NAATTU KODII

Chicken cooked with aromatic spices, tomato and onions Preparation Time : 20-25 minutes Cooking Time : 35-40 minutes Servings : 4

Ingredients

Spring chicken (desi) 1 Turmeric powder 1/2 teaspoon Onions 2 medium Tomato 1 medium Ginger 1 inch piece Garlic 12 cloves Groundnut oil 8 tablespoons Bay leaves 2 Star anise 2 Castor oil 3 tablespoons FOR MASALA Coconut, scraped 1/2 cup Whole dry red chilli 8 Fresh turmeric 1 inch piece Bengal gram (chana) 2 tablespoons Coriander seeds 2 tablespoons Black peppercorns 1 tablespoon Cumin seeds 1 teaspoon Cinnamon 2 inch stick Cloves 2 Green cardamoms 4 Poppy seeds (khuskhus/posto) 2 tablespoons Salt to taste

Method

Clean and cut chicken into twelve to sixteen pieces. Wash thoroughly with little salt and turmeric powder. Peel, wash and chop onion finely. Wash, roughly chop and puree the tomato in a blender. Peel and wash ginger and garlic and grind to a fine paste. Fry the masala ingredients except khus khus in two tablespoons of oil till light brown. Remove and cool. Dry roast khus khus in the same kadai, remove and mix with the above. Grind to a fine powder. Heat remaining oil in a thick bottomed pan, add the bay leaf and star anise and stir. Add onions and fry till light brown. Add the ginger-garlic paste and fry for a minute. Add chicken pieces and toss for a two to three minutes. Add tomato puree and the masala powder. Pour in the castor oil and two and a half cups of water. Let it simmer till the chicken is done and the oil floats on top. Check the seasoning and serve hot. Recipe Tip The castor oil is added to counter the heat in a spring chicken and to aid easy digestion. If using broiler, you need not add this oil.