Chicken Charakku Curry

This is a mild curry but highly flavoured with special spices and generally meant for convalescing patients and lactating mothers. The medicinal value of various spices in the charakku powder and garlic is to be appreciated in this dish. There is no chilli content in this dish.

Ingredients:

Chicken 500 Gms - whole very young bird
Charakku curry powder 3 teaspoons
Onions 1 large
Garlic 6 cloves
Curry leaves 10
Fennel seeds 1 teaspoon
Gingelly Oil 1 tablespoon
Coconut milk or milk 1 cup
Lime Juice ½ tablespoon

Method:

Skin, clean the chicken and separate the bones from flesh.

Cut the fleshy part of the chicken into ¾inch cubes and disjoint the bony part into smaller portions. Take care not to splinter bones

Dice the onions, and grind garlic into a smooth paste.

Dry roast fennel seeds until they turn golden, add gingelly oil and onions and fry till soft. Add curry leaves and continue to fry until onions become golden brown.

Add chicken pieces, garlic paste, charakku curry powder, salt (this will require less salt) and ½ cup water and stir.

Cover and cook on low fire until all the water has evaporated stirring intermittently.

Now add milk and cook on low fire until chicken has cooked well and then simmer until gravy thickens.

Remove from fire and add the lime juice, stir and let it stand for 20 minutes before eating.