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Home » Recipes » Cuisine » Indian » Kerala

Malabar Chicken Curry

Published: Jan 29, 2017 · Modified: Apr 4, 2020 by Manju · This post may contain affiliate links · 8 Comments

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Coconut, pearl onions and spices bring together the chicken in this spicy and delicious Malabar Chicken Curry. You can dip and slurp your way through this for you lunch and dinner with some rotis, appam or even slices of bread!

Malabar Chicken Curry

Kerala, a southwestern state in India has the most uniquely balanced demographic – the north ⅓ of the state, the Malabar region has a predominantly Muslim population, the central ⅓ of the state is predominantly Christian with the exception of some parts and the southern ⅓ is predominantly Hindu population. Overall, the malayalee cuisine is a unique combination of the core coastal essence of using coconut and a lot of seafood in the cuisine, while differing a lot in the spices used and method of cooking,  in the various regions based on the demographics of the population.

If you could just take a simple Chicken Curry, there are at least 10 different ways of making a Kerala Style Chicken Curry. This is one such recipe from the Northern Malabar region of the state aptly named Malabar Chicken Curry flavored with pearl onions, fennel and coriander and made creamy with a slightly smoky flavor with roasted coconut paste.

Malabar Chicken Curry (4 of 4)

Malabar Chicken Curry (3 of 4)

Malabar Chicken Curry – The Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb chicken breasts, cut into 3 inch piece cubes
  • 2 tablespoon oil
  • 5-7 curry leaves
  • ½ red onion
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala
  • 2 tomatoes
  • salt, to taste
  • ½ cup water

To grind to a paste:

  • ½ cup grated coconut (fresh or frozen, if frozen then thaw to room temperature before using)
  • 5 – 6 pearl onions
  • 4 dried red chillies
  • 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
  • 5 cloves garlic
  • 2 green chillies
  • 1 tablespoon sliced ginger

Method:

Peel and cut the pearl onions in half. Heat a heavy bottomed pan and roast the coconut, the pearl onions, red chillies, coriander seeds and fennel seeds over low-medium heat. Keep stirring every once in a while so as to not burn the coconut.

Meanwhile, chop the onions and peel the garlic.

Once the coconut and spices are roasted till the coconut is slightly brown, transfer to a plate to cool it. In the same pan, heat the oil and add the chopped onions. Add the turmeric and garam masala and let it sauté over medium heat.

Meanwhile, add the coconut and spices to a mixer / blender jar and add the garlic, ginger and green chillies. Add a couple of tablespoons of water and grind to a fine paste.

Add this paste to the onion mixture, add the tomatoes too and sauté for a few minutes till the tomatoes soften. Add the chicken pieces and salt and let it cook till the chicken lets out the moisture. Add enough water to cover the chicken and cook over low-medium heat, till the chicken is cooked through. Garnish with more curry leaves, if needed. Serve hot with rice, rotis or even slices of bread.

Malabar Chicken Curry (1 of 4)

Malabar

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Patti says

    January 31, 2017 at 9:23 am

    What is garam masala, and as a person in a rural area, where do I find it? We don't have any Indian markets in our area.

    Reply
    • Manju says

      January 31, 2017 at 10:42 pm

      Patti - thanks for asking! Garam Masala is a unique blend of spices that is very commonly used in Indian cuisine. Here is link to one of my favorite brands of Garam Masala on Amazon.com http://amzn.to/2kpvguF

      Reply
  2. April says

    February 04, 2017 at 3:49 pm

    This sounds and looks terrific! However, I'm not a fan of coconut milk. I saw a similar recipe as yours in a food magazine. I wanted to try it but it had coconut milk in it too. Do you have any suggestions? Can I leave it out or substitute something else? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Manju says

      February 04, 2017 at 3:54 pm

      Thanks April! This uses grated coconut and not coconut milk, but that's an integral part of the dish. It tastes nothing like coconut milk as it is roasted with the spices, I hope you give it a try! ?

      Reply
      • April says

        February 04, 2017 at 4:04 pm

        Oops so sorry! My eyes jumped to coconut and went with coconut milk lol. Grated coconut sounds so much better. I must give this a try. Thanks for responding.

        Reply
        • Manju says

          February 04, 2017 at 4:05 pm

          Sure! Of course! Ping me any time with any questions if and when you make it. I will be happy to take you through the process!

          Reply
  3. Charlotte says

    October 06, 2022 at 11:25 am

    5 stars
    I made this with some slight changes, I used dessicated non sweetened coconut and threw in some curry leaves and cardoman pods (hubby has a bad cold). And it was delish.
    I have about thirty curry books and this will be a go to for a quick prep recipe, I really recommend it.
    Enjoy!

    Reply
    • Manju says

      October 23, 2022 at 11:59 pm

      Thank you Charlotte!

      Reply

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