Sunday, December 7, 2008

Kerala Style Chicken Fry – Kozhi Varuthathu


"How come we don't make this often?!" , wondered CJJ when I served him some Kerala style fried chicken last week. I had a deep sense of satisfaction and pleasure hearing his response but it is a fact that I don't make Chicken Fry very often considering the amount of oil consumed in the whole process, even though I follow a pan-fry method. Back home, it is a deep fried goodness and simply delicious especially when it's fried in a Cheenachatti /wok, with a 'pond' of coconut oil infused with some aromatic curry leaves. Unlike the health conscious ones like me who carefully squeeze out drops of oil from that tiny blue Parachute bottle, men and women in charge of kitchens there, right from homes to the quintessential Thattukada/ road side eatery, easily pour out coconut oil from a big white plastic canister, locally known as Kannaas, which is generally used for buying everything from petrol to toddy to kerosene and the oil flows out as though you just opened a water tap !! My mother kicks it up a notch by dressing up the fried chicken with some caramelized onions spiced up with the same aromatic and flavourful spice and herb mix used for marinating the chicken pieces earlier. So last week when I was planning to make this dish, I thought of blogging about it too and rang up my mother to get her recipe exactly and the conversation went something like this :

Me: Mummy.....just tell me the recipe for your chicken fry...one more time
Mother: oh...it's the same one I have given you earlier....you made it so many times after that...!
Me: Yeah...I know ....but I wanted to be very sure this time.....planning to blog about it, so don’t want to miss any ingredients or deviate from your original recipe.....
Mother: Ok....start with mixing chilly powder, turmeric, ginger, garlic........... (She explains the recipe in detail)
Me: ok...thanx..
Mother: Aahh..if you re planning to blog this, then it is better to use chicken legs.....that will look good in the picture
Me: WOW! I didn't think about that ...sounds great...

......and this morning while calling home, I showed them the photograph I clicked last week and was waiting eagerly to hear her response as somehow I was pretty impressed with the shot and the conversation followed was like this:

Mother: .........uh.....mm....it looks Okay......( Well, her 'ok' means 'not satisfied' , so I asked her directly)
Me: What happened....you didn' t like it...? Isn't it how it is supposed to be??
Mother: (with her voice down a bit) .....uhh....you shouldn't have kept those pieces together.....you should have lined it on a plate...
Me: Mummy, it's difficult to photograph that way....I couldn't manage to get a good angle
Mother: .....and why isn't the meat browned evenly?
Me: ohh...thats 'coz I used a shallow pan....I dont have a small wok...also I dont like it too crispy
Mother: ....atleast you should have put those onions on top of the chicken instead of layering it at the bottom.....
Me: (beginning to lose patience here ) .......I layered it that way 'coz otherwise the readers wont be able to see the meat....they will just get to see some onions alone....
Mother: still, I feel you shouldn't have clustered the chicken legs like that....
Me: (I am speechless and sad...... my creativity, my culinary skills, everything is questioned here and then I hear my brother's voice in the background)
Brother: In my personal opinion.....frankly and honestly speaking, it doesn't look 'perfect'.........the onions kinda gives a gravy like image instead of a dry fried chicken one ( trying to sound politically correct here )
Me: You know, had I pictured with onions on top, nobody will be able to see what's lying underneath that.....then there's no point in using chicken legs.....
Brother: This is just my personal opinion.....just telling you what I felt.....
Me: (Speehless......defenseless.... )

Well, I have mentioned in one of my earlier posts that my two best ( or worst?) critics are CJJ, the mastermind behind this blog and my mother, the main contributor of 90% of the recipes I have featured here . Till this conversation I was under the impression that I have a significant role to play in this blog , even if it is one of a Content Developer who gives flesh and blood to the body and keeps it alive and make everything look and sound appealing .........but with this particular conversation , it was quite clear that I have been demoted to the level of a glorified clerk or assistant who has failed to carry out her job decently!!!

:-D

Whether the fried pieces does not look the way it is supposed to be or the picture sends out a wrong message or not, this is a lip-smacking dish my mother prepares and here I am sharing her recipe with you all:


Ingredients:

For Frying:
  • 4-5 chicken drumsticks/leg of chicken ( You can use any piece of chicken weighing about 400-500 gm)
  • 1 tbsp chilly powder (adjust to your taste and tolerance)
  • ¼ tsp turmeric powder
  • Around ½ tsp homemade masala powder/garam masala
  • Around ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper powder
  • ¾ tsp fresh ginger paste
  • ½ to ¾ tsp fresh garlic paste
  • 1 ½ tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • Salt to taste
  • Around 1/4 cup oil for pan-frying
  • 1 sprig of curry leaves
For Sautéing:
  • 1 red big onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 Indian green chillies cut lengthwise
  • 1 sprig of curry leaves
  • Leftover marinade used for chicken
  • Salt, if required
For Serving:
  • Lemon or lime wedges
Directions:
  • Wash chicken drumsticks thoroughly and make 2-3 slits on it and pat dry the pieces with a paper towel. If you are using medium size cubed pieces of chicken, there is no need to make slits on the meat.
  • Make a marinade with chilly powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, ground pepper powder, ginger and garlic paste, salt and lemon juice and apply it on the meat thoroughly and let it rest for minimum 2 hours either on the kitchen counter or refrigerator.
  • Heat oil in a small wok or pan: tear off curry leaves and fry them in oil for 2-3 seconds and remove with a slotted spoon and keep it aside for final garnishing. This helps to add one more level of flavour to coconut oil. Place the chicken pieces gently in oil and fry each side for 2-3 minutes, in low-medium heat, until it is done. (Note: Cooking time varies depending on the thickness of the meat and temperature too) Remove the fried pieces using a slotted spoon and keep it aside in a plate.
  • Now to the same oil, add thinly sliced onions and green chillies and cook till it starts to brown. At this stage add the leftover marinade and curry leaves and mix well with the onion and stir until it loses the raw smell, for about a minute and add salt if required. Now put all the fried chicken back to the wok/pan; mix everything well, and pile up all the masala on the fried chicken pieces and keep the lid and let it cook , in warm-low flame, for a minute or two or and turn off the stove.
  • Garnish with the fried curry leaves , kept aside earlier and serve with lemon or lime wedges.
Tips: For even browning of the meat, it is better to use a wok or any pan that has a depression in the center. For health conscious lot, you may broil the chicken in oven until it is cooked well and follow the recipe for sautéing and blend the fried meat to the onion base. The sweetness from the caramelized onions and spices from the marinade gives additional richness and taste to fried chicken.

Related Posts:

Chicken Roast - Kuttanadan Style Chicken Biriyani Kerala Chicken Stew Roast Chicken Chemmeen eerkiliyil kuthi varuthathu

Luv
Shn

No part of the content ( articles, photographs, recipes) of this blog may be reproduced without my written permission.Copyright © 2007-2010 Kitchenmishmash.blogspot.com. All rights reserved.

32 comments:

  1. Love Kerala chicken fry! I'm going to try this recipe. :) Keep the great recipes coming!

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  2. kothipichu manushyane kollan ithupolorunum ayi porum...kothiyavunnu...adipoliyanu sambhavam.....

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  3. No disrespect to your mom, but this is one your best pictures... :-) It makes me want to somehow reach into the monitor to grab that chicken and have a bite...

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  4. I am siding with ur Bro. This looks like dry chicken curry :D

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  5. The chicken looks so yummy. U are more than clerk . You are voice for ur moms voicelss recipes.Now that I have sounded poetic , This chicken is one of best prep I have had. My mom never used to make it but the cook in our guest house used to. But he never gave out the recipe and after marraige I had to guess each ingredient to make somethingly vaguely remote. Now why didnt u save me the trouble by posting it B4? It is must try.

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  6. Hi hi i had such a pleasur ein reading this post especially the conversation between mom and daughter and then the brother adding his opinion too.
    Well i love them they way it is, and your cjj loved them too.
    I am sure you mom is proud of your creation too.
    Yeah i am also strinchy with my coconut oil from the blue bottle.

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  7. Whatever anyone says, it is clear to see that you put your heart and soul into cooking. I have found out that in life, people who are the closest to you can be the most critical. So chin up! All your fans know that your mom is also the one that is the most proud of you.
    After all it is a part of her that is running throughout your super dishes. So please continue, I myself look forward to each new recipe.

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  8. I must say that the pic looks great..does justice to the wonderful dish..

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  9. Without taking anything away from the recipe, the picture looks exceptionally good.

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  10. it looks yummy and i am surprised u hadn't posted this yet!

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  11. am with your mom on the picture....am not saying tat the picture is not good , but u'r pictures are of professional quality and i would give a rating of 10 usually. this one,as u saidthis one is kinda crowded but it still looks very yummyyyyyy....

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  12. Shn,I was translating the dialogues b/w u and your mom to malayalam and was visualizing it.It was wonderful!!!!Your dish looks amazing.Great pic!!!

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  13. I, personally, love the pic, Shn! Seems to just jump off the plate. Delicious! :)

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  14. I was imagining the trouble u go through to make sure that the recipe u show is authentic.That speaks volumes about you.A "Truly Committed Food Blogger" is who u are.Hats off to you.

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  15. hi shn..
    i think the pic is brilliant. The white plate and background has almost merged and the focus is just on the chicken and the onions.
    my hubby too makes something similar with tiny pieces of chicken. tastes yum!!

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  16. The picture looks perfect to me, dear Shn...but, of course, probably your mom knows your capability more than we do :-D

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  17. I showed J this post yesterday. He is not a fan of chicken and he was drooling over it. He asked me to pass this comment"Enniku entha ee chicken , ur mutton roast, cheemn , fish curry ......(all ur old post) undakli tharanje?" Njan villikam

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  18. Hi All..

    My mother and brother is very happy to see all those who supported their view :) And my special thanks to all those who supported me :P Thanks a lot for all your honest feedback...we appreciate that a lot.....it is just that I consider my mother's approval as the quality seal for this blog and I usually refrain from posting something which doesn't go thru her filtration....but when it comes to anything that involves fatty ingredients, I hate to make it again just for the sake of photographing.....anyway, it was nice to read through your perspectives....Thanks a bunch, guys! :)

    Shn

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  19. chechi....Bipin here ....chicken ill masala sherikum pidichatilla ennu thonnunu .... (my personal opinion).... but for all those out there the recipe is gonna be awesome.... experience speaks here ... Im a great fan of chechi's mother's cooking!!!!

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  20. Shn,
    Looks great and delicious ........
    Hugs and smiles

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  21. This looks so yum..Ithinde aduthenganum nhan ethiyirunnengil -am sure my achan/amma will be extremely proud of me:)..I have one qn though-how come you fry/cook chicken only for such a short time?I am so finicky and I feel we must cook it really really long time?Otherwise I feel the pieces are not fully done-am talking about the normal store bought legs/other pieces.Whats the best indication according to you?

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  22. hey mishmash I came across your blog very recently and just loved it!
    tried some of ur recipes and all turned out to be awesome!
    thank you sooo much! for ur time and patience, I have a request can you please post the recipe for meen peera

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  23. wow this is amazing.......its a true delicacy!!!!!!!1must try it out......

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  24. Jus prepared this one and awesome as usual.hey,but the color is not like urs.ur chicken legs have that yellowish color na ? mine is little bit darker..But it tastes heavanly.(have not used kashmiri chilly,roasted chilli powder ma be the reason).I feel bad that i cant send the photograph.Thank you so much.

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  25. Shn,I tried it couple of times now....I really trned out great and one of our favourite dish at home now :) ...Thanks for your wonderful recipe...

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  26. hai...i am new to this blog.i love cooking and always search for different recipes.i have a 7 month old baby girl and its hard for me to find time for cooking.but i just love foooood.so somehow i manage to find time and cook.last day i just tried ur chicken fry and it came out really well.my hus loved it soo much and was asking me to make it again.thanks to u.u r doing a great job.
    next i would love to try ur chicken biriyani.again time is a big problem.but i would definitely give it a try and will inform you my results.thanks again for creating such a wonderful blog.
    and 1 more thing....ur hus is such a lucky man :-)

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  27. I really loved your recipe...I tried this a couple of times in home and it become a big hit!!!Thanks a lot for wonderful recipes.Not only this i tried few of your kuttanadan recipes and .Aval Payasam and the story behind that is fabulous dear!! Wow Ammachi is such a wonderful cook and you all are lucky to have her .Me Personaly is a big fan of your Blog...More than the recipes i liked your way of writing. sherikkum after reading your latest blog, felt like we also had a journey to kuttanad...really mindblowing!!!

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  28. im gonna try the recipe...thanks...

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  29. Awesome ...we loved this dish. I must thank you for all the effort you've put into this blog as it has given us some fab meals !!

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  30. Awesome recipe ...we loved it ! Thank you Shn for blogging ...we've had some great meals thanks to you !

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  31. Made this chicken fry today. Loved it very much :)

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