Malvani Chicken, an Heirloom Recipe

Ingredients

• 1½ inch ginger, peeled and chopped coarsely
• 4  cloves of garlic, peeled,divided
• 1 fistful of cilantro sprigs, leaves and tender stems
• 1 small green chili
• ¾ teaspoon turmeric powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 pound chicken washed and patted dry. I used bone in, all natural chicken legs from Springer Mountain Farms
• 4 teaspoons oil, divided
• 1½ teaspoons coriander seeds
• ¼ teaspoon black peppercorns
• 3 cloves
• ½ inch long, thin stick of cinnamon
• 2 medium onions, sliced + 1 small onion, finely diced
• 5 tablespoons shredded dry coconut
• ¼ teaspoon red chili powder or to taste
• ½ tablespoon tamarind pods( ball, the size of a large marble) soaked in warm water and pulp extracted or 1/4 teaspoon tamarind concentrate
• 1 cup water
• 1½ tablespoons of coconut milk powder combined with 1/4 cup water. I used the Chao Thai brand
• salt to taste
• lemon wedges and chopped cilantro leaves to serve

To make the  Malvani chicken-

1. To marinate the chicken, grind together the ginger, 2 of the garlic cloves, cilantro and the green chili. Remove to a bowl. Add the turmeric powder and salt. Mix well and add the chicken. Coat chicken with the marinade. Cover and set aside.

   

   

   

2. Meanwhile, to make the masala, heat 2 teaspoons of the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the coriander seeds and fry them for about 30 seconds or until they turn slightly darker and are fragrant. Add the peppercorns, cloves and cinnamon and fry for a few more seconds until the spices ‘swell up’. Remove the spices from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.
3. To the remaining oil in the pan, add the 2 sliced onions and the 2 garlic cloves. Fry them until the onion starts to caramelize.

   

4. Add the shredded dry coconut and roast it until golden brown. Turn off the heat and add the chili powder and roast an additional 30 seconds.
5. Grind the mixture with the roasted spices and the tamarind pulp using as much is needed out of the 1 cup of water.
6. In a separate pan, heat the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil over medium heat and add the diced onion. Fry it until translucent and add the marinated chicken. Let it cook on each side for about 30 seconds and then add the marinade, the ground up coconut mixture and the remainder of the 1 cup water. Add salt and let the curry cook covered, until the chicken is cooked.
7. Add the coconut milk and let the mixture come to a low simmer. Turn the heat off, sprinkle with the chopped cilantro and serve with lemon wedges on the side.
8. I feel that this curry tastes even better the next day. So I make it a day in advance and serve it with chapatis or rice and the creamy and cool onion raita.