Chicken Kuruma (Korma) ~ Side dish for Chapathis

What is your favourite side dish that you make for chapathis ? 

I don't generally make chicken dishes for chapathis, but my elder one loves chicken sides with chapathi. So, I end up reserving a small amount of chicken after making some elaborate dishes with the whole chicken and make side dishes with the reserved share on another day, which they totally love. I have been making paneer korma, mushroom kuruma and mix veg kuruma frequently on a rotational basis but chicken korma was not in the list. When it comes to choosing between stew and kuruma, stew bags the title and I end up making stew than kuruma.

However, when chicken kuruma is prepared, all love and do devour well as it is chicken after all. Chicken Kuruma is similar to any other veg kuruma and the gravy is thick and rich. The spice is mainly contributed by the green chillies. The fennel seeds and cumin seeds add a lovely flavour along with whole spices and garam masala. A small tomato is added to give that mild tangy flavour, omit if you don't like. Khus khus(poppy seeds), cashews and ground coconut makes the gravy thick and rich. A perfect blend of spices and a tasty kuruma is ready in minutes without any fuss. Enjoy !!

Preparation time ~ 10 minutes

Cooking time ~ 20 minutes

Author ~ Julie

Serves ~ 3-4

Ingredients

to grind

coconut 1/3 cup

cumin seeds 1/4 tsp

fennel seeds 1/2 tsp

khus khus (poppy seeds) 1/2 tsp

green chilies 1-2

cashews 7-8 (soaked)

for making kuruma

chicken 250-300g 

onion 1 large, finely chopped

ginger-garlic paste 2 tsp

turmeric powder 1/2 tsp

coriander powder 1.5 tsp

garam masala 1/2 tsp

pepper powder 1/4 tsp

tomato 1 small chopped

coriander leaves 1 tbsp

salt to taste

coconut oil 2 tbsp

whole spices -cardamom 3, cloves 4, cinnamon 1”piece, star anise 1

to temper

shallots 3-4

curry leaves, a sprig 

red dry chillies 2 broken

cashews 4-5 (optional)

coconut oil 1 tbsp

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Method

• Wash the chicken under running water, keep aside.
• Soak the cashews in water for 15–20 minutes.
• In a blender jar, add the grated coconut, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, khus khus and cashews. Add little water and grind to a smooth paste.
• In a pan, add oil. Add whole spices and ginger-garlic paste. Add the chopped onions and sauté till translucent.
• Add the chicken pieces and sauté until pale on high. The chicken will release water once you add salt.
• To this, add the ground paste. Add 1/4 cup water to the jar and pour. Cook the chicken with masala for 5–6 minutes.
• Then add the tomato and add 1/2-3/4 cup water. Give a quick mix, adjust salt.
• Cook covered for another 3–4 minutes until the gravy is thick and rich. Finally, add the coriander leaves and switch off the flame.
• In another pan, heat oil for tempering. Add the sliced shallots, curry leaves and red dry chillies. Fry the mix till shallots turn light browned. Pour over the curry and leave covered for 5 minutes.
• Mix well after 5 minutes and serve warm with chapathis. Enjoy !

                                               

NOTES 

* You can modify the amount of chillies as per tolerance. I have added only one as the green chilli was very spicy.

* You can add cashews while tempering too. I have omitted that as we have already added cashews in the ground paste.