Kerala Style Chicken Stew with Coconut Milk

I was a little relaxed after I bought my Dslr’s new battery charger. We checked it in the shop, heaved a sigh of relief and came back home. Then I pulled out the battery from my camera and place it into the charger and plugged into the plug point..and bang!!! It started blinking. The orange light, which indicated that the battery is being charged, was blinking rapidly.  So...my battery is dead too??? I checked the internet and it said that blinking means, there is a problem with the charger. I was furious. I was annoyed. I wanted to sue the salesman. So, 2 days later we went again. We handed the charger and our batter to the lady there and asked her to check which one is screwed up ...not that we used this particular language!! And to our utter astonishment, the ligh now was beaming steadily. No blinking, no shivering....the orange light stared at me like...okay....I am fine!! Why are you worried??

Me and my husband...two surprised soul started discussing this miracle after we left the shop. We even thought that there can be a problem with the voltage since we were having some electrical work done in our flat then. But wait...the charger is working in our home too!!!  No idea that what was the problem...but I am very steadily relaxed now ( not ready to get tensed again) and charging my battery fully.

I have dug out “Can you keep a secret”, “Shopaholic Series” and “Wings of Fire” from my stash. Want to read them through the week without interruption. Some of my friends (with literature degree) think all these Sophie Kinsella addiction all pointless and funny. They don’t consider them stories at all. To them Sartre, Milind Kundra and Rumi are something to spend time on. I beg to differ of course. I find these SophieKinsella books rather entertaining. A light reading. Something to carry with me in car, bus as well as to the beach.

Chicken stews are my latest addiction. They are light, mild and completely healthy ( do not count my chilli addition). Put everything in, cook slowly or on pressure till one or two whistle blows...and you are done!! Phew!! Is there anything quicker than this?? Well....I have to think. What do you think??

But wait, this Kerala style chicken stew with coconut milk is a little different. It needs a little sautéing before cooking the meat.

You can cook the chicken in a cooker. In fact I prefer to cook stews in cooker mainly. They are easy and takes a lot lesser time.

Kerala Style Chicken Stew with Coconut Milk

Serves 4

Ingredients:

500-600gm chicken on bone

1 medium onion – sliced

4 cloves of garlic – minced / paste

1 inch stick of ginger – paste

1 can of coconut milk / homemade1cup thin and 1 cup thick coconut milk

2 green chillies – slitted

A few fresh coriander leaves – chopped (to sprinkle in the end)

2 medium potato – peeled and halved

¼ cup of green peas (optional)

1 small carrot – chopped (optional)

4-5 black peppercorns – dry roasted for 1 minute and then ground to a fine powder

7-8 black peppercorns

12-15 curry leaves

3 green cardamoms

1 medium cinnamon stick

3-4 cloves

Salt

2-3 tsp oil (preferably coconut oil, but any unflavoured oil will do)

 I have omitted coriander powder and garam masala powder, but you can add a pinch of them, with the second addition of the coconut milk

Method:

Heat oil in a kadai and put the cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon stick and 6-7 curry leaves into it.

Sauté for half a minute or until the oil becomes fragrant, and then add in the sliced onion. Do not let the curry leaves turn brown.

Sauté the onions for 2-3 minutes, or until they become translucent and add in the ginger – garlic paste.

Stir and cook till the raw flavour of the garlic is gone. It will take around 1 minute.

Now add the chicken pieces, salt and the whole black peppercorns. Mix in and cook till the chicken starts to change colour. It will become pinkish and will begin to ooze out oil.

Immediately add in the peeled and halved potatoes, slitted green chillies, ½ can of coconut milk or 1 cup of thin homemade coconut milk and 1 cup of water. To get the thin coconut milk from the can do not shake it before opening. The coconut cream will be stored at the bottom of the can and we will get the thin milk. Put cover and cook till the chicken is almost or 80% done. Do check in between and stir, so that nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan. You can do this process in pressure cooker as well. Cook until the cooker blows 1 whistle. Then let the steam come out naturally.

Once the chicken is almost done, add in the green peas, chopped carrot, 6-7 curry leaves and the rest of the canned coconut milk / 1 cup thick coconut milk. Add the coriander powder and garam masala powder at this stage if you are using them. Do stir the thick cream from the bottom of the canned coconut milk before pouring in, because the thick part of the coconut milk is most of the time stored at the bottom of the can.

Again put cover and cook till the chicken, green peas and carrots are cooked from inside.

Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Simmer till the stew reaches your preferred consistency. I prefer it to be thicker than the runny consistency.

Put off the flame, sprinkle the ground black peppercorns, and chopped fresh coriander leaves.

Serve hot with some steamed hot rice.