It’s been a real long time since I participated in the Sshh Cooking Challenge. Recently, to make it interesting, the challenge had started exploring state wise and started from A. Though I would have loved to be a part of it, my family isn’t very receptive to all kind of foods and also, my time is becoming really tight of late, so I decided to give the challenge a break. Mayuriji was very understanding, and I did mention that when I felt like it, I would be part of the challenge. This month, it was Goa and I was in two minds. I hadn’t signed up initially but then it happened that there was one extra participant without a partner, and without thinking two times, I jumped in. I am glad that I did! 😀
Like I mentioned, this month, we are exploring Goan cuisine. Goa needs no introduction – it is the enjoyment capital of India, and everybody knows it. 🙂 The smallest state in India but ranked as the best in the standard of living, Goan culture is marked by its heavy influence of it’s former Portugese inhabitation. A lot of their food do have Portugese influence and I understand that many had to choose between this nationality and Indian nationality to stay within the country, since it became a part of India only in 1961. Whatever said and done, this is one place that I wish to go somewhere soon, InShaAllah… 🙂
My partner for the month is Sujataji, and she was pretty easy going. She asked me several times if I had any preference before she gave me coconut and black peppercorn as my ingredients. I know she couldn’t see it but in my mind, I was dancing due to the ease of ingredients! Just like our cuisine, Goan food has a heavy use of coconut and pepper is a very easy ingredient to go in. And all I wanted to make was chicken curry! 😀 Being a coastal state, fish is eaten very prominently there but my folks are more tilted towards chicken than fish, so I had to make the choice.
My very first search landed me up on this link, and I didn’t even go any further. One Friday afternoon, I got to making this curry. First of all, the browning of onions is what I so loved in this curry, almost into birista condition. The more brown, the more tastier! I loved how beautifully the paste of coconut and spices blended with the onion, and then we get the chicken cooked. If you see, the spices used are what is in the paste, nothing else! The final polishing off with some tamarind water and coconut milk was just amazing. If you remember, I did skip adding tamarind paste to the Sri Lankan Chicken Curry I tried but it looked like a wanted ingredient here, so I went ahead. The end result was a super flavorful, delicious curry that paired up so well with a plate of ghee rice, and then at night, it was mopped up with bread. It was a beautifully colored gravy and had an amazing aroma. The curry took two days for us to finish, but as it kept, the flavors just kept getting better…
I feel glad to have tried this recipe, do try it if you are in a mood for a coconut curry. Also do check out what Sujathaji cooked with ingredients I gave her – her blog name is cute, isn’t it? 🙂
Caril De Galinha ~ Goan Chicken Curry
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp coconut oil
- 3 meduim onions thinly sliced
- 1 kg chicken cut into meduim peices
- 1 lime pc tamarind soaked in 1/4 cup hot water
- 1 cup coconut milk
- Salt to taste
- Coriander leaves for garnishing
- FOR PASTE:
- 1 cup grated coconut
- 4 dry red chillies Kashmiri, soaked in 120 ml warm water till soft
- 6 garlic cloves
- 3 cm pc ginger
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp whole black peppercorn
Instructions
- First prepare the paste. Put all ingredients into a jar without the chilli water and grind till smooth. Add the water little by little till you have a smooth paste.
- Heat oil in a large saucepan. Fry the onions till it becomes nicely browned.
- Add in the paste and saute for a few minutes.
- Add in the chicken and toss well. Cook for 10 minutes on closed lid, tossing it one time in the middle.
- Add a cup of water and salt and allow it to cook till done.
- Pulp the tamarind water and coconut milk and allow it to boil for five minutes. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.
Notes
If you have tamarind paste available, you can use two tablespoons of it instead of the tamarind water.
Any Chicken curry makes me drool and this one is no less. I find a lot of similarity between cuisines of the western coastal region of India especially pertaining to their love for coconuts:)
Haha… that’s true… thank you so much Ria… 🙂
You captured every bit of the thought process in the challenge so well Rafeeda.
Thank you so much Seema…
So tempting bowl of chicken curry raffee.. Bookmarking this recipe dear.
Thank you so much Sujitha…
This chicken curry looks mouthwatering! And it is very nicely captured!
Thank you so much Beulah…
Creamy and yummy chicken curry, love it.
Thanks a lot Suja…
Hello Rafeeda,
This post takes me back to the days I spent in Goa, I am married into a part konkani and goan family. Many of the cooing ingredients are used regularly in our home. Though over the years I have gone easy on coconut but yes its quite flavourful and delightful to the palette. The Goans use the bedgi chillies which is available abundantly and it provides a deep red colour to the gravy. How nice to see that you still manage to collaborate in your busy schedule. I think I have lost everything running after a hyperactive toddler.
That’s so nice to know, Roy… I have heard of bedgi chillies but have no clue where to get it here so the easiest bet are the Kashmiri ones… Just trying to build up the mojo for cooking so that I don’t lose it… hehe… Thank you so much dear for coming by…
The curry looks so delicious.. would love it with plain rice.
Thank you so much Shobhaji…
Thats one delicious looking chicken curry. !
Thanks a lot Nammi…
good post
Thanks!
The Chicken Curry looks delicious. The vegetarian in me can just imagine how delicious this would be. 🙂
Thank you so much Aruna… 🙂
The curry looks fabulous! Absolutely restaurant style! 🙂
Thanks a lot Priya… 🙂
Firstly, as I mentioned earlier, we had the exact same secret ingredients and we both came up with curries. Mine was pulse based but this looks amazing. Love the texture and glad you have kept enough gravy which is what Goans prefer actually with steamed rice along with the chicken.
I have a family who needs a lot of gravy for their rice, so I have to make sure we had enough… hehe… so glad to know we both got the same ingredients! Thank you so much Vidya…
RAF the Chicken looks so juicy and tasty!Just as how I would have liked it!The gravy looks divine as well!Perfect with rice!
Thank you so much Amrita…
Such a mouthwatering chicken recipe. The chicken looks juicy and can feel the taste of it. yum yum !
Thank you so much Priya…
beautifully captured yummy chicken curry…looks like its a keep keep recipe
Thank you so much Nisa…
I’m so glad you took part this time Rafeeda, otherwise members who love chicken would have missed out on this wonderful recipe. Love the clicks.
Thank you so much Mayuriji…
Delicious looking curry and a well written post, if I may say so. I can almost seeing you in the kitchen, browning the onions and getting all the prep done. Chicken and coconut – really made for each other!
Awww… thank you so much for your lovely comment, Sujataji…
I made and this is absolutely delicious
Thank you so much for trying and sharing your feedback!