Chicken Stew

Chicken Stew Author: Maria Jose Martin Recipe type: side dish, Breakfast Cuisine: Kerala, Indian Serves: 4-5 Ingredients Chicken - ¾ kg (cut into medium size pieces) Onion - 2 medium, thinly sliced Green chilly - 4-5 Ginger & garlic - 1 tbsp, finely chopped Potato - 1 medium, cubed Carrot - 1 small-medium, cubed Cinnamon - a small piece Cardamom - 4 Cloves - 4 Whole pepper - ¼-1/2 tsp Fennel seeds - a small pinch Medium thick coconut milk - 2½ - 3 cups Thick coconut milk - 1 cup Cashew paste - 1 tbsp (optional) Coconut oil Salt Curry leaves Instructions Crush the whole masala (number 4 ingredient). Heat oil in a deep pan & splutter the whole masala. Add onion, ginger &garlic, green chilly & curry leaves. Saute till onion becomes soft and keep in mind that onions should not brown in this recipe. When onion becomes soft add chicken pieces, salt and potato cubes. Mix well. Add medium thick coconut milk and cover & cook. When the chicken is half done, add the cubed carrots too. Continue cooking till the chicken is fully done. Add the cashew paste to the thick coconut milk & mix well. When the chicken is cooked completely add the thick coconut milk. Reduce the flame & cook for 5 -7 minutes or until you get the required thickness. Garnish with fried small onion/shallots & curry leaves. Serve hot with appam or bread. Notes I used chicken with bones. The weight f the chicken given here is after cleaning. To make cashew paste, soak around 7-10 cashews in 1- 2 tbsp hot water for 10 mins. Grind the cashew along with the water to a smooth paste. Cashew paste is usually added to thicken the gravy & make it more creamier. To enhance the taste & flavor, you can garnish the stew with small onion & curry leaves fried in ghee/coconut oil. You can also make this in a pressure cooker in the same way.