Chicken khuddi curry

Chicken khuddi curry is one of my favourite go to chicken curries. I was introduced to bottle masala, an East Indian blend of approximately twenty five different spices, used to flavour meat curries and vegetables, about ten years ago by a dear friend Plakilla. For the last many years I have never run out of this spice mix and it is always stocked in my pantry. I also use it as a for garam masala substitute at times.

This bottle masala literally made me a hero in my toddler's eyes, for my son used to savour and slurp eating khuddi curry and rice. He would love this dish and literally wanted to eat this for all meals in the day. I can never forget what he said to me once after a hearty lunch of khuddi curry and rice, in all earnestness he said,"Mama you are the best cooker in the world."And that is why chicken khuddi will always have a special place in my heart and kitchen.

Recipe credit: Plakilla D'souza

Ingredients:

1. Chicken - 1 kg
2. Coconut - 1/2 cup
3. Onion - 1 large, roughly sliced
4. Garlic - 6 cloves, roughly sliced
5. Ginger - 1 inch piece
6. Tamarind - marble sized ball
7. Bottle masala - 2 tbsp
8. Potatoes - 2 nos, quartered
9. Salt - as required

Tempering:

1. Oil - as required
2. Onion - 1 medium sized, chopped
3. Tomatoes - 2 medium sized, chopped
4. Green chilly - 4 nos

Method:

1. Heat a pan, add very little oil and roast the sliced onions till they are brown, constantly turning and ensuring they don't burn. Once they are sufficiently browned, take them out into a plate and follow the same process for garlic, ginger and coconut.
2. Cool the roasted ingredients and grind it to a paste using water.
3. Soak tamarind in warm water and extract pulp, keep aside.
4. In a pan, heat oil and fry the chopped onions, till they soften and turn translucent. 
5. Add the bottle masala and salt, fry well, and then add the ground paste. Mix well, constantly stirring. After about a minute or so add the chicken, tomatoes, green chilly and tamarind pulp. 
6. Add 1 cup of hot water, bring to a boil, add the potatoes and cook on slow to medium flame till done. 
7. Once done you can garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Notes:
You can adjust the quantity of bottle masala as per your spice tolerance and taste.

You can follow the same recipe for Mutton curry too.