Chettinad Kozhi Varuval
Bone-in chicken dry-roasted in a freshly ground Chettinad masala of stone-flower, fennel and dried red chillies, a signature dish of the Nagarathar merchant kitchens.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Total
- 70 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 380 kcal
Equipment
- •Cast-iron kadai
- •Stone grinder or blender
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 380 kcal
- fat
- 24 g
- carbs
- 9 g
- fibre
- 2 g
- protein
- 32 g
- calories
- 380 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Toast the fennel, stone flower, and half the dried chillies in a dry pan briefly. Grind them into a coarse powder.
- 2
Mix the chicken with turmeric, salt, and half the ground spice powder. Leave it to rest for 20 minutes.
- 3
Heat gingelly (sesame) oil in a cast-iron kadai (deep pan). Fry the remaining whole dried chillies and curry leaves.
- 4
Add crushed garlic and ginger. Fry until the raw smell disappears.
- 5
Add sliced shallots. Cook until soft and lightly browned.
- 6
Add the marinated chicken over medium-high heat. Stir often until it releases and soaks back its juices.
- 7
Sprinkle in the remaining ground spice powder and crushed pepper. Keep roasting until the chicken is dry and deeply browned.
- 8
Scatter over the remaining curry leaves and serve hot.
Chef's tips
Use gingelly (sesame) oil for authentic Chettinad flavour. Keep the heat steady so the chicken roasts instead of stewing. Stone flower gives the dish its classic earthy aroma.
Ingredient substitutions
- stone flower → omit if unavailable
Storage
Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
Reheating
Reheat in a pan on low flame with a few drops of oil to restore the dry texture.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Adding water, which turns the dry roast into a wet gravy
- •Grinding the spices into a fine powder instead of leaving them coarse
Serving suggestions
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