Kerala Chicken Curry - Swasthi's Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to a good curry? ›

Made from an aromatic blend of many spices this curry combines the robust, smoky flavours of cumin and fenugreek with the sweet undertones of cinnamon and cardamom amongst others. It works especially well with chicken and seafood, and is also delicious with vegetables and lentils.

Curries can be bland if you haven't used enough of the base aromatics of garlic, ginger, and onion. The onion should be caramelized in oil until well browned and flavorful. Spices should not be old enough to lose potency and preferably should be toasted and ground yourself.

The easiest way to fix a bland and tasteless curry is by adding spices like red chili powder, cumin, coriander, garam masala, curry leaves and turmeric. Just make a quick tempering and pour over the curry to give it a nice punch of spices and herbs.

Fenugreek (Methi)

This Indian spice is what people say "smells like curry." Of all Indian spices, this spice may be the most essential. You may use up to a few tablespoons in a family size dish near the end of the cooking process, but start with a teaspoon. Fenugreek seeds also have many health benefits.

Vinegar, Lemon, or Lime. A squeeze of lemon, a splash of vinegar, or a pinch of salt (for coconut-based and other curries, such as this goat curry) may also help balance out the flavour and provide a nice citric balance to your dish.

Pepper. Kerala is famed for the production and export of this one of the most sought-after spices, Pepper, which is also known as the 'King of Spices'. Today used all around the world, probably it is one of the earliest known spices. Pepper of Kerala reached Europe through the Arab traders.

Having been a major production area of spices for thousands of years, the region makes frequent use of black pepper, cardamom, clove, ginger, and cinnamon. Kerala also has a variety of breakfast dishes like idli, dosa, appam, idiyappam, puttu, and pathiri.

Kerala is home to a variety of spices: pepper, vanilla, cardamom, clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and turmeric. The flavour of spices lingers long in one's tongue and even longer in one's memory. Spices shaped Kerala's tryst with destiny. It was the fragrance of spice that awakened the curiosity of the explorers.

You should have a rich, flavoursome sauce, add your RAW chicken into the sauce, keep the heat medium high and seal the chicken in the sauce, stir constantly and create the deep flavour in the chicken.

Should I blend onions for curry? ›

If you purée it first, you will have to dries up most of that flavor to cook onions. I suggest just chop and cook them till done and purée / blend after to bring out a smooth curry base. *If adding tomatoes, cook that in first and then blend.

Though spices are typically fried at the start of a recipe, there are also benefits to adding them later on. Dev Biswal explains: 'Generally, it's better to add garam masala at the end of the cooking process, as it works on an aromatic level, raising the whole nature of the dish.

The curry base is made with onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, red chilli powder and garam masala. I prefer to go with potatoes, carrots, peas, green beans, cauliflower, corn and bell peppers. Though you can use other veggies like baby corn, sweet potato and broccoli, the curry will have different flavors.

Tomato puree/ paste

Adding tomato puree is probably the most common method of thickening curry sauces. Simply add the tomato puree during the cooking process rather than adding it at the end. This will help to thicken your curry or pasta sauce from the beginning, speeding up the cooking time.

The actual sweetness and creaminess of such curries meanwhile, usually comes from fried onions and either cashews and/or dairy products. Instead of (or in addition to) onion, ground coconut may be used. White poppy seeds and/or watermelon seeds are also used in some creamy sauces.

You can give a curry depth by adding umami goodness. Umami is one of the basic five tastes and is often described as a meaty, savoury deliciousness that deepens a dish's flavour.

Indian curry is typically made with a combination of warm and fragrant spices, such as cumin, coriander, turmeric, and cinnamon. These spices provide the foundation for the dish, and are typically toasted in oil or ghee to bring out their flavors and aromas.