Modern Kerala Chicken Fry
A unique modern-day Marinade to Kerala Fried Chicken… It is finger-licking good!
Total time is not inclusive of marination time.
Ingredients:
| Chicken (skinless, cut into medium-sized pieces -I prefer leg and thigh meat for frying | 1 kg | |
| Red onions | 2 medium sized | |
| Garlic cloves | 10-12 (large) | |
| Ginger (around the same quantity as the garlic) | 1 large piece | |
| Black peppercorns (or fresh green peppercorns if you have them) | ¼ tsp | |
| Turmeric powder | ½ tsp | |
| Coriander powder | 1 tsp | |
| Fennel powder | 1 tsp | |
| Garam Masala powder | 1 tsp | |
| Kashmir chillI powder | 2 tsp | |
| Thick yoghurt (greek or 'hung' yogurt - see notes) | ½ cup | |
| Lime juice | 2 tsp | |
| Coconut oil (for frying) | As needed | |
| Gram flour/Besan/Chick Pea flour | 1-3 tsp | |
| Rice flour | 1-3 tsp |
For Fried Garnish
| Red onion, sliced into rings | 1 | |
| Curry leaves | As needed | |
| Green chillies | As needed |
Method:
- Wash and drain the chicken pieces.
- Grind the onion, garlic, ginger, and peppercorns→ a smooth paste.
- In a non-reactive bowl ?, add the chicken, the ground paste, and all the spices. Add the yogurt, lime juice, and salt.
- Rub the chicken pieces with the ingredients well for 1 minute and marinate for 10 minutes.
- Heat 1 Tbsp Coconut oil in a small pan, add the gram flour and rice flour, and stir till you get a nutty aroma. Add to the marinated chicken and mix well.
- Keep refrigerated for 30 minutes to 6 hours depending on how much time you have.
- Take out of the fridge 10 minutes before cooking.
- Put the chicken in a pressure cooker with 2 Tbsp of water. Close the cooker and cook till just before you hear the first steam whistle. Take off heat and leave closed to stew for a while.
- Thinly slice some onion and green chilies for the garnish.
- Heat coconut oil for shallow frying.
- Take out the pieces of chicken from the pressure cooker allowing any liquid to fall back down into the pressure cooker and lay down in the oil without overlapping or overcrowding the pan. Lower the heat so that it’s quite low but you still hear the pan sizzling. ( Use a splatter guard). Do not move around for a good 2-3 minutes. After
splatter guard which you can check if it’s a golden
brown and not darkened too much. Turn over and allow the other side to attain the same golden brown color.
- Increase the heat before you lay the second batch of chicken in the pan. Lower once its all in and repeat till all your chicken is fried. Cover the fried pieces up with foil so that they stay moist and warm.
- You can toss the curry leaves, onions, and chilies separately in the same pan for the garnish. Each for a few seconds so that they take up the juices of the pan. You don’t want onions to go too soft so a max of 5 seconds. Fried Chicken Kerala Style is great served with rice or roti.
Modern Kerala Chicken Fry
Notes:
- Non – Reactive Bowl: A glass, ceramic, or stainless steel bowl, not an aluminum or cast-iron one. Non-reactive bowls should be used while preparing and storing dishes, such as dressings or marinades, which contain acidic ingredients such as vinegar or lemon juice.
- Hung Yoghurt: Take your yogurt in a muslin cloth and hang OR place on a steel tea strain over a large cup. After 15-30 minutes the whey will fall down into the cup and you will be left with a nice thickened yogurt.
Key Ingredients: Chicken, Onion, Garlic, Spices, Lime Juice, Coconut Oil, Rice Flour, Gram Flour.
EAT AND TELL!!! Let us know if you tried – Modern Kerala Chicken Fry
Mail me your pics and testimonials 🙂 – recipesaresimple@gmail.com
