Maharashtrian Black Chicken Curry

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Maharashtrian Black chicken curry – often known as Kala Tilachi Kombdi or Tilachi Rassa – is not a glossy restaurant curry. You won’t find it on many menus, though I did manage to find it on one menu in Mumbai which is one of the reasons I'm sharing the recipe here. There’s no cream, no tomatoes, no cashews smoothing things out. What you get is a curry that’s inky dark, deeply nutty, slightly bitter in the best possible way, and unbelievably satisfying.

This is proper Maharashtrian village cooking. The kind of food that’s slow, deliberate and built on technique rather than fancy ingredients. It’s bold, rustic, easy and completely unforgettable.

Black chicken curry on a serving plate with a naan and lemon wedges.

What Is Black Sesame Seed Chicken Curry?

This curry gets its colour and flavour from black sesame seeds (kala til), which are dry-roasted and ground with dark-roasted onions and whole spices to form a powerful masala. That masala is then slow-cooked with chicken until the gravy turns almost black and the oil rises to the surface.

The flavour profile is very different from most Indian curries:

Spicy but not sharpAbout
Nutty and earthy
Deeply roasted
Slightly bitter (intentionally)

This is a unique curry that you need to try soon!

A Bit of History (Why This Curry Exists)

This version of black chicken curry comes primarily from inland Maharashtra, especially:

Vidarbha
Parts of Marathwada
Dry, rural regions away from the Konkan coast

In these areas, coconuts were not always readily available, but sesame seeds were. Black sesame has been grown in Maharashtra for centuries and is especially associated with:

Winter cooking
“Warming” foods in Ayurvedic tradition
Rural gravies and chutneys

Sesame seeds store well, are calorie-dense and develop incredible flavour when roasted. So cooks did what cooks have always done: they built cuisine around what the land gave them.

This curry is a perfect example of that. Instead of lightening the gravy, cooks leaned into darkness – roasting onions hard, toasting sesame seeds carefully and cooking the masala slowly until it became something powerful and sustaining.

Is This Curry Made Elsewhere in India?

Short answer: not really.

You’ll find sesame used in:

Maharashtrian chutneys and gravies
Some Telugu and Kannada dishes
Bengali cooking (especially mustard-sesame combinations)

But a black sesame–based chicken rassa like this is distinctly Maharashtrian and even within Maharashtra it’s quite regional.

Outside the state, this curry is often adapted, softened, or misunderstood. Proper versions are almost always home-cooked.

Ingredients

You'll need to gather quite a few spices for this recipe but the cooking is easy. Be sure to get everything ready before you start cooking and it will be even easier. The ingredient measurements I use for this black chicken curry are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this page.

See recipe card for quantities.

Chicken, cut into medium bone-in pieces
Salt
Garlic and ginger paste
Turmeric
FOR THE BLACK MASALA
Black sesame seeds
Vegetable oil
Red onions
Coriander seeds
Cumin seeds
Dried red chillies
Black peppercorns
Cloves
Cinnamon stick
Star anise (optional, but lovely)
FOR THE CURRY
Vegetable oil
Brown onion
Garlic and ginger paste
Salt to taste
Hot water as needed
TO FINISH
Raw red onion slices
Lemon wedges

Step by step photos

Below, you’ll see step-by-step photographs to guide you through the recipe. At the bottom of the page, you’ll also find the full recipe card, which includes the complete list of ingredients and written instructions in an easy, printable format.

Marinating the chicken in the turmeric, salt and garlic and ginger paste.

Step 1: Rub the chicken pieces with salt, garlic and ginger paste and turmeric. Set aside. Bone-in chicken thighs or legs are essential here – breast meat simply doesn’t stand up to this gravy.

Roasting the black sesame seeds over a low heat.

Step 2: Roasting the black sesame seeds matters more than anything else. Dry roast the black sesame seeds in a heavy pan over low heat, stirring constantly. They’ll start to pop gently, smell nutty and darken slightly. The moment they’re aromatic, transfer them to a plate. Burnt sesame is bitter in a bad way – there’s no fixing it.

Toasting the other whole spices and dried chillies in the pan.

Step 3: Pour the remaining whole spices into the pan and toast them for about a minute or until warm to the touch and fragrant. Transfer to the plate with the sesame seeds.

Be careful when roasting the sesame seeds. Do not burn those sesame seeds.

Low and slow is the only way to roast them!

Frying the sliced red onions until golden brown.

Step 4: To make the black masala, heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in the same pan and add the sliced onions. Cook slowly, patiently, until the onions turn very dark brown, almost black at the edges.

Adding the toasted sesame seeds and whole spices to the fried onions.

Step 5: Return the toasted sesame seeds and whole spices to the pan and mix them into the onions.

The blended black paste made from the toasted sesame seeds, spices and fried onions.

Step 6: Remove from heat, allow to cool slightly, then grind to a thick, dark paste, adding a little water if needed.

Frying the chopped onions with the garlic and ginger paste in the pan.

Step 7: To make the curry, heat 3 tbsp oil in a heavy-bottomed pot or kadai over a medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and cook until soft and lightly golden. About 7 minutes should do. Stir in the garlic and ginger paste and stir it into the onion mixture for about 30 seconds.

Adding the black curry paste to the chicken

Step 8: Stir in the black masala and reduce the heat to medium-low and saute for about 10 minutes or until the masala darkens little and the aroma becomes deep, nutty and almost smoky. Then stir in the chicken.

Cooking the Black chicken curry covered for 35 minutes

Step 9: Add just enough hot water to cover the chicken and cooked uncovered for 5 to 7 minutes. Cover and simmer gently for 35–45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is tender, the gravy is thick and dark and the oil floats to the top.

Simmering the curry to thicken the sauce and seasoning with salt to taste t

Step 10: Season with salt to taste. Continue simmering until you are happy with the consistency of the sauce. Traditionally, the sauce is thick but you can have a thinner sauce if you prefer. Turn off the heat and let the curry rest, covered for at least 15 minutes before serving. Serve over hot white rice, naan and/or chapattis.

What Makes This Black Chicken Curry Different?

A few defining features:

No tomatoes
No coconut
No cream
Heavy roasting
Slow cooking

This curry doesn’t try to please everyone. It’s confident, slightly challenging, and deeply satisfying if you enjoy bold flavours.

Useful Equipment

You don’t need anything fancy, but these help:

Heavy-bottomed pan or kadai
Spice grinder or high-powered blender
Wooden spoon
Sharp knife
Chopping board
Patience (seriously)

Storage and Reheating

Storage

Keeps in the fridge for 3–4 days
Store in an airtight container

This curry tastes even better the next day.

Reheating

Reheat gently on the stovetop
Add a splash of water if needed
Avoid high microwave heat

Freezing

Thaw overnight and reheat slowly

Freezes well for up to 2 months

Top Tip

Roast sesame seeds gently – low heat only. Dark and aromatic is good. Burnt is not!

FAQ

Is this black chicken curry spicy?

It’s warming rather than fiery. You control the chilli level and you can always add more or less. Sometimes I add chopped green chillies at the end to spice it up more.

Can you use white sesame seeds?

You can, but the flavour and colour will be very different. Stick to black sesame seeds if you can but white sesame seeds will also taste good.

Why no tomatoes?

Tomatoes would clash with the sesame and lighten the flavour. This dish predates them. It also predates the chillies that are used but dried chillies are now a popular ingredient.

Looking for more delicious chicken curries? Try these

Pairing

These are my favorite dishes to serve with [this recipe]:

Have you tried this black chicken curry recipe?

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Yield: 4

Maharashtrian Black Chicken Curry

I think you will love the rich flavours of this Black Chicken Curry, a traditional Maharashtrian dish that is bold and unforgettable.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes

Ingredients

1kg chicken, cut into medium bone-in pieces
Salt to taste
2 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
½ tsp turmeric
FOR THE BLACK MASALA
3 tbsp black sesame seeds
2 tbsp oil
2 large onions, thinly sliced
2 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp cumin seeds
8–10 dried Kashmiri red chillies
1 tsp black peppercorns
4 cloves
1 small cinnamon stick
1 star anise (optional, but lovely)
FOR THE CURRY
3 tbsp oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
Salt to taste
Hot water as needed
TO GARNISH
Lemon wedges
Sliced red onion

Instructions

Rub the chicken pieces with salt, garlic and ginger paste and turmeric. Set aside. Bone-in chicken thighs or legs are essential here – breast meat simply doesn’t stand up to this gravy.
Roasting the black sesame seeds matters more than anything else. Dry roast the black sesame seeds in a heavy pan over low heat, stirring constantly. They’ll start to pop gently, smell nutty and darken slightly.
The moment they’re aromatic, transfer them to a plate. Burnt sesame is bitter in a bad way – there’s no fixing it.
Pour the remaining whole spices into the pan and toast for about a minute or until warm to the touch and fragrant. Transfer them to the plate with the sesame seeds.
To make the black masala, heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in the same pan and add the sliced onions. Cook slowly, patiently, until the onions turn very dark brown, almost black at the edges. This takes about 10 minutes. Don’t rush it.
Add the roasted sesame seeds, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, dried chillies, peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon and star anise. Stir well and roast for about a minute or until aromatic.
Remove from heat, allow to cool slightly, then grind to a thick, dark paste, adding a little water if needed.
To make the curry, heat 3 tbsp oil in a heavy-bottomed pot or kadai over a medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and cook until soft and lightly golden. About 7 minutes should do. Stir in the garlic and ginger paste and stir it into the onion mixture for about 30 seconds.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and saute until the masala darkens little and the aroma becomes deep, nutty and almost smoky. This step takes about 10 minutes. It’s where the flavour is built.
Add the chicken pieces and stir well to coat. Add just enough hot water to cover the chicken and cooked uncovered for 5 to 7 minutes.
Cover and simmer gently for 35–45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is tender, the gravy is thick and dark and the oil floats to the top.
Season with salt to taste. If you want a thinner gravy, you can add a splash more water. Turn off the heat and let the curry rest, covered for at least 15 minutes before serving.
Serve over hot white rice, naan and/or chapattis.