Chettinad chicken gravy without using coconut

Chettinad chicken gravy in its authentic will be very spicy and is served with rice. It uses finely grounded coconut paste for the gravy which mixes well the spices and enhances the flavour. But for people like me who run out of coconuts in the kitchen and can’t wait till they buy next time from the market , few cashew nuts can do the wonders.  Gravy recipe with cashew paste goes well with the kids and they will love to eat with chappati, rice and dosa as my daughter did.  For my husband, it was thumbs down with rice but liked it very much with chappati and dosa.

Ingredients :

For marinating

1. Chicken – 750 gm
2. Chilli powder – 1 tbsp
3. Curd – 1 tbsp
4. Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
5. Salt

For grinding

1. Onion – 2 medium sized
2. Tomato – 2 large sized
3. Fried channa or Pottu kadalai – 1 tbsp ( optional )
4. Green chillies – 2
5. Cashews – 10
6. Cinnamon – 1
7. Fennel seeds – 1tsp
8. Cloves – 1
9. Oil -  1 tsp

For seasoning

1. Fennel seeds – 1 tsp
2. Curry leaves – 8
3. Small Onions – 1 cup
4. Tomato – 1 medium sized, chopped finely
5. Oil – 2 tsp

For gravy

1. Tamarind paste – 1/2 tbsp ( optional )
2. Water – 1 1/2 cup
3. Salt – for taste
4. Corriander leaves – for garnishing

Method :

Marinate chicken

1. Clean and cut the chicken into 1 inch pieces. Wash them well and pat dry
2. Add chilli powder, salt, turmeric powder and curd to the chicken and marinate it for 30 mins or till u prepare the masala for grinding

Prepare masala for gravy

1. Heat oil in a pan. Add fennel seeds, cloves, cinnamon stick and fry for 1 min
2. Add pottu kadalai and Cashew and fry till they have turned golden brown
3. Add onions, green chillies and tomatoes one by one and saute them well till they are cooked
4. Turn off the heat and allow them to cool
5. Grind the sauted items to fine consistency by adding water and keep aside

Prepare chicken gravy

1. Heat oil in a pan. Add fennel seeds and curry leaves. Once they start to pop out, add small onions and fry them well.
2. Add tomatoes and saute it at medium heat till it has blended well with the onions.
3. Add the marinated chicken and cook for 10 mins
4. Now add the ground masala and tamarind paste to chicken . Mix well and cook for 2-3 mins
5. Add the water, salt to chicken and allow it to boil for 10 mins keeping it covered with lid.
6. Turn off the heat and garnish with chopped corriander leaves.