Keralan chicken stew - A Syrian Christian speciality | Kukskitchen

Chicken stew and appam was a staple at my home when guests came. But the stew I remember the most was one that my mum made on my cousin S chettan's wedding day breakfast. Not sure if that special taste was due to the prior shallow frying of chicken pieces by my aunt E, my mum's special loving touch or the fact that it was such an enjoyable day with all of us cousins sitting around the breakfast table before our dear S chettan got married. Interestingly the previous night was the first time I had the yummiest chicken lollipops too. Click here for my version of chicken lollipops


Presented here is how I make it at my home.

Ingredients:

1 - Chicken - 1 kg
2 - Potato - 2 large
3 - Green chilli - 2 slit
     Ginger - julians one inch piece
4 - Cinnamon - 2 two-inch sticks
     Clove - 4
    Cardamon - 4
    Pepper cones - 4
    Bay leaves - 2
5 - Full fat Coconut milk - 200ml or more to taste
    Water - 100ml
6 - Oil, please use coconut oil - 2 tbsp
7 - Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

• Heat oil in a pan and splutter the whole spices (4).
• Add cleaned medium sized chicken pieces , preferably with bone, to this and let both sides turn partially golden brown.
• Add 100 ml of coconut milk together with 100 ml water to the pan.
• Add diced potatoes, green chilli, ginger, salt and pepper and cook on medium flame till chicken is cooked through.
• Add the rest of thick coconut milk and let it boil. Switch of flame at the first sign of boiling.
• If you wish, garnish with fried cashew nuts and onion slices.

Tips:

- For a yummier stew, shallow fry your chicken first before adding to the stew.
- Cooking in a pressure cooker speeds up the cooking process and softens the potatoes thickening the delicious gravy.

Cheers

Sherin