Dry Chicken Fry In Green Masala

 Dry Chicken Fry In Green Masala

        India is the land of curries. There are thousands of curries and various adaptations of the same curry. Each region and each family have their own version. It might be surprising to know you wouldn’t catch a cook in India using Madras curry powder. It simply doesn’t exist in India. What we have are masala powders, similar to a curry powder, each designed for a different curry. Masala powders can be a combination of roasted or unroasted spices depending on the curry one is making. It can also be a freshly ground spice paste.

     Curries does not always need to be full of sauce. There are plenty of dry curries in India. These dry curries are served alongside saucy curries. Typically, a South Indian lunch or dinner will consist of one or two saucy curries like Sambar(lentil stew) and Rasam served alongside dry curries like this chicken fry and vegetarian fried curries called poriyal.

     This dry chicken fry can also be served as an appetizer but the classic combination with this dish will be hot steamed rice and Rasam. I like to use cornish hen in this recipe, but you can use any chicken with bones. Chicken breast tends to dry out by the time we finish frying. The souring agent in this recipe is white vinegar and lemon juice. Adjust their quantity to suit your taste. You will notice that the recipe does not call for turmeric powder. That is because we do not want the curry to turn yellow. I did wash the chicken pieces with turmeric powder. We are making a fresh masala paste to marinate the chicken. Try to grind the paste with just vinegar and lemon juice. Avoid using water if possible. It will make the paste too runny.

Ingredients You'll Need:

Chicken

Cardamom, cloves, Cinnamon, Fennel seeds

Ginger, Garlic, Green Chili, Cilantro, Mint, Black Pepper

Onion

White Vinegar

Lemon Juice

• Cornish Hen 1
• Garlic 7 large cloves
• Ginger 1" piece
• Green Chilies 2
• Coriander leaves 10 stalks
• Mint leaves 10
• Black Peppercorns 1/2 tsp
• Green Cardamom 3
• Cloves 3Cinnamon stick 1" piece
• Fennel seeds 1/4 tsp
• Chopped Onion 1/2 cup
• White Vinegar 1/4 cup
• Lemon juice 1 tbsp
• Salt to taste
• Oil 1/4 cup
• Lemon wedges and sliced onions 

How to make Dry chicken fry in green masala: 

1. First grind all the ingredients, except the chicken, oil and garnishing items, into a fine paste. Try not to add water while grinding. The vinegar and lemon juice should lend enough wetness to grind the masala. 

2. We are going to use this ground paste/masala as the marinade for the chicken. Taste the masala to make sure the flavors- salt and tanginess, are fine. Now add the masala to the chicken, mix thoroughly and leave it in the fridge for at least two hours. You can also let it marinate overnight. If you do not have that much time at least let it sit for half an hour.

3. Heat oil in a pan on medium heat. Add the chicken pieces and fry until the meat is cooked. Keep turning the chicken every few minutes to prevent it from sticking to the pan. If the chicken starts to stick to the pan sprinkle some water. You can do this throughout the cooking process. Just do not add too much water otherwise the dry masala will turn into a sauce.

4. If you are serving this dish as an appetizer garnish with lemon wedges and sliced onions. 

 

If you tried this recipe let me know in the comments how it turned out. I would love to here from you.  

Dry Chicken Fry In Green Masala This Chicken fry is a dry curry meaning it will not have any gravy or sauce. It can be served as an appetizer or as a side dish to rasam rice, variety rice or even with rotis. Prep Time: 2hours and 30minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes Total Time: 3 hours(including time to marinate) Makes: 1 to 2 servings INGREDIENTS: Cornish hen 1 Garlic 7 large cloves Ginger 1" piece Green Chilies 2 Coriander leaves 10 stalks Mint leaves 10 Black Peppercorns 1/2 tsp Green Cardamom 3 Cloves 3Cinnamon stick 1" piece Fennel seeds 1/4 tsp Chopped Onion 1/2 cup White Vinegar 1/4 cup Lemon juice 1 tbsp Salt to taste Oil 1/4 cup Lemon wedges and sliced onions  Method: Add all the ingredients except the chicken, salt and oil, in a blender jar and grind everything into a fine paste. Add salt to the masala paste and mix well. This is the only time we will be adding salt in the entire recipe so make sure you add the right amount. Mix the masala paste with the chicken well. Refrigerate the chicken. Allow the chicken to marinate in the masala paste for two hours. Heat the oil in a skillet. When the oil is hot, carefully arrange the chicken pieces in the skillet in a single layer. If there is any leftover masala in the container do not add it to the skillet just yet. Cook for a few minutes until the bottom of the chicken pieces are browned. Make sure you cook on medium heat. You do not want the chicken to burn. Flip the chicken pieces and cook the other side too.  When the chicken is ninety percent cooked add any leftover masala to the skillet, mix well and cook until chicken is fully done. If the chicken is taking too long to cook and it is starting to stick to the skillet, splash some water in the pan, not too much though. Remember, we are making a dry dish. Serve with lemon wedges and sliced onions. Enjoy!  I like to use cornish hen in this recipe, but you can use any chicken with bones. Chicken breast tends to dry out by the time we finish frying. The souring agent in this recipe is white vinegar and lemon juice. Adjust their quantity to suit your taste. You will notice that the recipe does not call for turmeric powder. That is because we do not want the curry to turn yellow. I did wash the chicken pieces with turmeric powder. Try to grind the masala paste with just vinegar and lemon juice. Avoid using water if possible. It will make the paste too runny.