Chicken Curry with Coconut – Goan Xacutti

Instructions

1. Start by making the xaccuti masala. In a dry frying pan, roast the Kashmiri chillies, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, ajwain seeds, cloves, peppercorns, fennel seeds, poppy seeds, cinnamon stick and star anise over medium high heat until warm to the touch and fragrant. Allow to cool. .Now roast the coconut flakes until lightly browned. Set aside.
2. Blend the chillies, coconut flakes and the rest of the ingredients with a little water to make a paste.
3. Pour this paste over the chicken in a large bowl and mix well to coat. You can start cooking the curry now but if you would like to marinate the chicken for a couple hours or overnight, it will be even better.
4. When ready to cook, heat the oil over high heat. When bubbles begin to form at the bottom of the pan, add the mustard seeds. When they begin to pop, lower the temperature to medium high and stir in the curry leaves and let them flavour the oil for about 30 seconds. You’ll know when your oil is perfectly flavoured because it will smell so nice. Add the chopped onions and fry until soft, lightly browned and translucent. Stir in the chillies and then the marinated chicken. Stir well to coat the chicken in the onion mixture. Add the stock or water and simmer for about 15 minutes until the chicken is tender and cooked through.
5. Stir in the tamarind concentrate and nutmeg and then taste it. For a sourer flavour, add more tamarind. Nutmeg can taste quite strong to some but add more if you like.
6. To serve, stir in the chopped coriander and add salt to taste.