Malvani-Style Chicken Curry

By Leite's Culinaria

Ingredients

1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
8 black peppercorns
Seeds of 4 green cardamom pods
Seeds of 1 black cardamom pod
1 cinnamon stick (broken up into small pieces)
1 star anise
6 dried red chiles (such as arbol)
4 cloves garlic (peeled)
2 tablespoons desiccated coconut
Generous 3/4 cup water
3 tablespoons mild vegetable oil
2 (14 oz) onions (finely chopped)
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon Kashmiri chile powder
4 (2 pounds) boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1/2-inch (12-mm) slices)

Prep Time20mins
Cook Time25mins
Servings4

Instructions

Make the masala

In a small skillet over low heat, combine the spices, chiles, garlic, and coconut and dry-roast until you can smell their aroma and they start to color, 3 to 5 minutes.

Pour into a spice blender and blitz to a powder or use a mortar and pestle to finely grind them. In a small bowl, combine the spice powder and the water and mix well to form a slurry.

Make the curry

In a medium skillet or Dutch oven with a lid over medium-low heat, warm the oil. Add the onions and cook until lightly golden, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the spice mixture and cook for 1 minute more.

Add the salt, Kashmiri chile powder, and chicken, cover, and cook until the chicken is cooked through, stirring once, about 10 minutes. Uncover and increase the heat to high. Cook for 1 minute before removing from the heat and serving.