Ingredients
Chettinad masala
Curry
Method
- Dry roast the masala spices until fragrant, add the coconut and roast until golden. Cool and grind to a paste with a little water.
- Heat oil, add curry leaves and onions and cook until golden. Add ginger-garlic paste, tomatoes and turmeric and cook until soft.
- Add the chicken and salt and sear for 5 minutes.
- Add the ground masala and water, cover and simmer for 25 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the gravy is thick.
The spices that matter
Key to rasam, pepper chicken, Chettinad dishes and garam masala. Before chillies reached India, pepper was the main source of heat.
No black pepper? White pepper or a little chilli powder.
Chewed after meals as a mouth freshener, ground into Kashmiri and Bengali dishes, and fried whole in pickles and panch phoron.
No fennel seed? Anise seed is the closest swap; use a little less.
Used whole in biryani, pulao and some garam masala blends, especially in Hyderabadi and Bengali cooking.
No star anise? A pinch of fennel or anise seed.
Fried whole in tempering for dal, sambar, chutneys and pickles, or roasted and ground into masalas.
No dried red chillies? Red chilli flakes.
Fried in hot oil with mustard seeds for sambar, rasam, poha, upma, chutneys and Kerala and Tamil dishes.
No curry leaves? No real substitute. Lime zest gives a hint of the citrus note.
Nice to have
The blend to use
Chettinad masala: A peppery, aromatic blend from the Chettinad region, with stone flower and kapok buds.
Salt, oil or ghee, onions, ginger, garlic and fresh herbs are assumed. See how to make a tadka for the order to add whole spices.
Dishes with similar spices
Frequently asked questions
How long does chettinad chicken take to make?
About 20 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
What spices are in chettinad chicken?
The essentials are black pepper, fennel seed, star anise, dried red chillies, curry leaves. Nice to have: stone flower, kapok buds.
Tips from travellers
Use Chettinad chicken differently at home? Share your tip. The first good one goes right here.