Instant Chicken Curry Recipe

by

(Malvani Chicken Curry)

This recipe perfectly combines all Indian spices and readily available ingredients.

Prep: 20 mins
Cooking time: 30 mins

Total time: 50 mins

Servings: 4

Yields: 4 servings

Prepare this Maharashtrian Chicken Curry if your taste buds are craving something spicy yet balanced. This recipe is made in the Kokan region of India where you use ingredients grown on the farm itself and nothing fancy.

Kokan is a coastal region so it has water in abundance that contributes to a number of coconut trees near the coast because of which coconut is used in almost each and every dish prepared by the locals.

Instant Chicken Curry Ingredients

The taste of this curry revolves around malvani masala (which is available in local masala stores). This masala goes in the marination as well as in the curry. Onion and coconut are the main ingredients that help to balance out the spice and flavor.

How to make Chicken Curry

Start by marinating chicken in malvani masala, turmeric powder, and salt. Saute onion until translucent, add grated coconut, cilantro, ginger, and garlic cook till browned. Grind it to a fine paste by adding water to it.

In one pot add oil, black cardamom, bay leaf, finely chopped onion, marinated chicken, onion paste prepared earlier, water, and pressure cook for 2 whistles to get nice tender chicken.

Serve hot with vade, bhakri, or rice.

How to store Chicken Curry

Bring the leftover chicken curry to a boil, then let it come to room temperature, pour it into an airtight container, freeze it and enjoy it for two to three days.

Defrost it before heating it again the next day and I can assure you more flavor will be added to this curry.

Ingredients

  • ½ kg Curry Cut Chicken
  • 2 ½ tablespoons Malvani Masala
  • 1 teaspoon Salt
  • ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder
  • 1 tablespoon Oil
  • 1 cup vertically chopped Onion
  • ½ cup finely chopped Onion
  • ¾ cup Grated Coconut
  • 1/4 cup Cilantro
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly chopped Ginger
  • 5-6 pods of Garlic
  • Water [to adjust consistency]

Directions

  • Step 1

Marinate ½ kg curry cut chicken with 2 tablespoons malvani masala, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon turmeric powder. Set it aside for 15 minutes.

  • Step 2

Heat oil in an iron skillet over high flame, add 1 cup vertically chopped onion and let it caramelize. Add in ¾ cup of grated coconut, ¼ cup of cilantro, ¼ teaspoon of freshly chopped ginger, and 5 to 6 pods of garlic: give it a good mix for 5 to 6 minutes. Turn off the gas. Once this mixture comes to room temperature and grind into a fine paste with water. This paste is called ‘Vatap’ in the local language

  • Step 3

In a pressure cooker, heat oil, lower the flame, and add bay leaf and black cardamom which will give a nice flavor to our curry. Saute ½ cup finely chopped onion till it becomes translucent. Now add ½ tablespoon malvani masala to it, marinated chicken, onion-coconut paste (vatap), and water, and stir to combine.

  • Step 4

Close the pressure cooker lid carefully and cook for 2 whistles over medium to high heat. After 2 whistles take a spoon and lift the whistle gently, if steam escapes from the whistle let it sit for 5 more minutes but if no steam escapes it is time to open the lid and let the aroma enter your senses. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot

How to serve Instant Chicken Curry

This curry is a regional dish and it must be served with something traditional to enhance its flavor.

Combine it with

  1. Steamed rice
  2. Vade – made with a mixture of flours
  3. Bhakari – usually made with rice flour
  4. Amboli – thick version of dosa

Nutrition Fact

Instant Chicken Curry Recipe

Servings: 4

Per serving: 270 calories; protein 31g; carbohydrates 10g; fat 12g; cholesterol 100mg; sodium 130mg;

Tips:

  1. Preparing tender chicken can sometimes be a task, to keep your chicken tender and juicy add vinegar to the chicken while marinating. You can also add curd or lemon but vinegar is an effective option.
  2. Keep sauteing onion and coconut for vatap and don’t just let it sit on the pan and get caramelized, continuously sauteing will enhance the taste.
  3. Whenever you are caramelizing onion, sprinkle a pinch of salt in it, this will speed up the process.

FAQ’s

1. How do you thicken curry in a pressure cooker?

Chicken tends to leave some moisture making our curry a bit watery, to thicken the curry you can avoid adding water at the end.

2. Why is my curry so watery?

Curry can turn out watery if you add lots of water while grinding the onion and coconut mixture, you are adding excess water in the end without keeping in mind that chicken will leave its moisture.

3. What is the difference between chicken curry and curried chicken?

Curried chicken and chicken curry are one and the same, just two different ways to call a dish. Grammatically, if we are using curry as a noun it will be ‘Chicken Curry’ whereas ‘Curried Chicken’ makes it an adjective.

4. What is the secret to a good instant chicken curry?

Using basic ingredients and spices which are available on your shelves. Chicken will taste delicious without even marination or special spices.

5. How many whistles does it need to make instant chicken curry in a pressure cooker?

It will take 2 whistles and not more than that to get a well cooked tender chicken. 3 whistles will over cook the chicken and 1 whistle can keep the chicken undercooked.