Indian Food Recipes: Chicken Stew and Appam

 By Nandini Bhushan*

The cuisine from the five southern states of India — Tamil Naidu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana is grouped together as the South Indian cuisine. This cuisine offers a wide range of vegetarian as well as non-vegetarian delicacies that is sure to delight one’s taste bud. Let us explore the mouth-watering dishes from the Southern Indian states to experience the essence of each of these states.

Also try: Indian Food Recipe: Mysore Pak

Chicken Stew and Appam

The traditional Kerala style chicken stew is mildly flavoured curry cooked with lots of vegetables, spices and coconut milk.  The strong aromatic flavour of cinnamon, cardamom and black pepper enhances the flavour of the dish while coconut milk gives it a creamy texture. An extremely simple recipe that is enjoyed best with appams.

Ingredients

Chicken: ½ kg

Onion: 2 thinly sliced

Shallots: 4

Thin coconut milk: 2 cups

Thick coconut milk: 1 cup

Cinnamon stick: 1

Peppercorn: 1 tsp

Cardamom: 2

Clove: 4

Bay leaf: 2

Turmeric powder: ½ tsp

Cashew nuts: 10 soaked and grind into a smooth paste.

Garlic: 6 pod

Ginger: 1 inch

Curry leaves: 1 sprig

Carrot: 1

Green beans: 100 gms

Potato: 1

Coconut oil: 3 tsp

Salt as per taste.

Step 1

Wash the chicken pieces. Cut the vegetables into medium size pieces.

Step 2

Heat oil in a pan and add the whole garam masala and let it splutter.

Step 3

Add the sliced onion and saute until translucent. Put the crushed ginger garlic and saute for a couple of minutes.

Step 4

Next, add the chopped vegetables and chicken and fry them all together.

Step 5

Put the turmeric powder, salt, and cashew paste along with thin coconut milk. Once it comes to a boil, reduce the heat and cover and cook for at least twenty to thirty minutes till it is tender.

Step 6

Add the thick coconut milk and let it come to a boil. As it reaches the desired consistency switch off the heat.

Step 7

In a small pan heat a tsp of coconut oil.  To this add whole shallots and curry leaves and fry till the onion changes its colour. Add the tadka to the chicken curry and mix well.

Step 8

Enjoy the chicken stew with appam.