It even fools the dog! Tyrion thinks this is actually chicken! Well, maybe he doesn't exactly but whenever he sees us eating something he just wants his cut. I enjoyed working with this plant based "chicken" so much, that when I went over to get my vacuum cleaner fixed in Napa, I stopped at the big market there and picked up a couple of bags. I really wanted to try this product in a spicier recipe as we like it hot around here. What better than a dish I've made many times with real chicken and that's Tamil Chettinad Chicken.
This is a pretty simple recipe of spices, coconut milk, vegetables and a nice big bag of fake chicken... you can also make this with REAL CHICKEN if you wish, the recipe stays the same.
This particular recipe comes from chef Atul Kochar, who got it from a Tamil line cook he worked with at the Taj Connemara Hotel. There are a number of recipes for this dish. I have another Chettinad Chicken recipe that I've written about before...here. It's slightly different (not vegan) but still Chettinad Chicken. Like any traditional cuisine, everybody has a slightly "different" way of making the same dish.
Tamil Chettinad Chicken Curry
Here's What You Need:
1 lb of chicken chunked into pieces
4 1/2 Tbs vegetable oil (I use coconut oil)
1 2/3 cups of thinly sliced onions
20 curry leaves (if you don't have them, or are not near an Asian market that carries them I purchase mine fresh from either Rani Foods )
1 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder (if you don't have it you can do a pretty effective hack by mixing equal parts cayenne and paprika. It won't be exactly the same but it works)
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp turmeric
1 can of coconut milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup chopped tomatoes
2 Tbs fresh cilantro chopped
Spice Paste:
1 Tbs peeled chopped fresh ginger
2 Tbs chopped garlic or shallot
3 cloves
10 black peppercorns
1 and 1/2 tsp fennel seed
1 inch piece cinnamon stick
Here's What To Do:
Put all the ingredients for the Spice Paste in a blender or mini-processor with 3 Tbs of water and blend into a paste.
If you are using Real Chicken remove the skin...if you are using fake chicken skip this.
Heat the vegetable oil in a large deep skillet.
Add the onions and saute until they've softened.
Now add the Spice Paste and the curry leaves.
Saute for about 2 to 3 minutes.
Now add in the chili powder, coriander, and turmeric.
Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes.
Now add your Daring "chicken" pieces..or the real McCoy, and cook until the pieces start to turn golden.
Now, add in the tomatoes...
...and Coconut milk.
Bring the mixture to a simmer. And cook at a simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the chicken pieces are thoroughly cooked through.
When it's ready, sprinkle with the chopped up cilantro and serve it up.
I served mine with Chapatti this time. It's also great over rice with spices and raisins.
A basic recipe for Chapatti can be found here
Lunch, Dinner, Whatever is served...
So there it is, a couple of recipes for Tamil Chettinad Chicken. Have at it and enjoy!
Coming up next, I'm making some Summer Time Coffee Ice Cream to cool down some of this heat.
Follow along on Twitter @kathygori
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