Malwani Chicken Curry

I had 500  grams of boneless chicken , planning for an Indian Chinese dinner. The idea of chopping vegetables suddenly did not appeal to me and I was looking for a chicken curry which could be eaten with steamed rice and salad. In essence, a short cut to elaborate cooking. I came across Sanjeev Kapoor's recipe for Malwani mutton which looked delicious. I realized it used dry coconut. I had been eyeing for long a piece of dry coconut  in my refrigerator, wondering what to do with it.  And that decided it! The chicken curry turned out yellowish and not beautifully red like Sanjeev kapoor's dish. That was because he had used ten pieces of chillies. I used four pieces only and realized that itself was too spicy for me. I took other liberties with the recipe too.  But the end result was delicious and the taste very different from the curries I normally prepare. Hence, decided to share. The recipe is not strictly as per SK's instructions, but rather how I interpreted it.

Chicken 500 grams

Onions 2 medium sized, sliced finely

Ginger 2 one inch piece, grind to a fine paste.

Garlic 10 small cloves, grind to a fine paste

Coriander leaves a few sprigs

Oil 4 tbsp

Salt to tate

Turmeric powder half tsp ( I used one teaspoon)

For Malwani masala

Red chillies whole 10 ( I took 4) 

Coriander seeds 2 tsps

Cloves 4-5

Pepper corns 7-8

Cumin seeds Half tsp

Shahi jeera Half tsp ( I skipped)

Green cardamoms 4-5

Dry coconut (grated) Half cup

Poppy seeds 1 tsp (I replaced it with five cashewnuts) 

Dry roast the Malwani masalas and grind to a fine paste with a little water.

Heat oil and saute onions in it till light brown. Add ginger garlic paste and saute for a few minutes.

Add chicken pieces, turmeric powder, salt  and saute for a few minutes.

Add the malwani masala and saute for two minutes. Add water and cook on low heat till the chicken is cooked.  

Since the curry turned out too hot, I added a tspn of vinegar, after shutting the  gas, to mellow the heat of the chillies. 

Garnish with coriander leaves and  ginger julienne (which I forgot as obvious from the picture).

Bon appetit!