Spicy malvani chicken curry

The burst of flavors from this spicy chicken curry is guaranteed to make you go back for seconds.

Malvani Chicken

Indian curries always look very appetizing and mouthwatering. And I have always wondered what they taste like. During my search for authentic Indian curries, I came across a lot of great chicken curry recipes on the internet. Chicken curries prepared with an assortment of Indian herbs and spices. I was drawn to this malvani chicken curry because it had a lot of coconuts and I love coconuts. So I decided to give it a try.

This malvani chicken curry comes from the malvani cuisine in the Indian region of Maharashtra and Goa. Malvani cuisine is very spicy and full of coconuts and one dish can have up to 16 spices in it. I got this recipe for spicy chicken curry from NDTVCooks. Some recipes for malvani curry call for Indian spices like blade mace, star anise, aniseed which are hard to find in Nigerian local markets. But, don’t worry you will easily find the ingredients for this recipe in the local markets.

How to prepare spicy malvani chicken curry

The foundation of this chicken curry is the malvani masala and the coconut masala. They give the dish its unique flavor. The malvani masala is a spice blend of roasted whole spice seeds. And the coconut masala is a mix of caramelized onions and coconuts. Together, they produce a very tasty curry that is both spicy and sweet. In other words incredibly delicious!

When preparing the curry, the first thing that stood out for me was the intensity of the aroma and flavor of the malvani masala. The aroma of the fragrant spices was incredible. It was fragrant, spicy and strong. At first, I wasn’t too sure I was going to like the flavor of the dish because of the aroma of the spices. You see, my 9ja mouth is used to the flavor of crayfish, palm oil, eba. So this was a new experience for me.

What does spicy malvani chicken curry taste like?

Simply Delicious! This malvani chicken curry has a great depth of flavour. Layers of complex flavours built by the spicy malvani masala and sweet coconut masala. It’s sweet, spicy and very satisfying without being too hot. The chicken itself is deliciously moist and flavourful and absorbs a lot of spicy flavours from the curry. There is no need to add extra seasoning cubes. Because the balance of flavours in the curry is just right. All you need to add is extra salt if needed.

There is a lot to enjoy in this curry. It’s very filling and yummy and it goes very well with chapati bread and even white rice.

Ingredients needed to make malvani chicken curry:

Malvani Curry Ingredients

1. Indian spices: Whole seeds of cumin, coriander, cloves, dry red chilies, black peppercorn, nutmeg, bay leaf, and cinnamon. The seeds may be roasted to release aromatic flavors and then ground into a powder.
2. Red chilis: The original recipe called for red Kashmiri chili pepper which imparts a red color to the curry. But I could not find any so I substituted with Nigerian chili powder and added some paprika for color.
3. Coconut: Coconuts thicken the curry while making it sweeter and richer.
4. Coriander leaf: a handful for garnish but optional if you don’t like the taste (like me!)
5. Red onions: Adds subtle sweetness to the dish.

Directions::

1. Dry roast ingredients for malvani masala and set aside

2. Grind ingredients for coconut masala and set aside
3. Add vegetable oil to the saucepan on medium heat, then saute red onions and coconut masala for 10 minutes. This step is important because it brings out the sweetness of the onions and the coconuts.
4. Transfer the coconut and onions to a blender and blend till smooth.

5. Pour vegetable oil into the saucepan and saute red onions with garlic and ginger paste,
6. After about 2 minutes, add 3 teaspoons of ground malvani masala, stir well
7. Add red chili powder and salt. For a redder color in your curry, you can also add a teaspoon of paprika.
8. Mix in chicken pieces and coat them well with the masala mixture. Stir for 3 minutes

9. Pour ground coconut masala to the saucepan and mix well with the chicken. Stir for 2 minutes.
10. Add water and leave to cook for about 20 till chicken is tender and the curry thickens.
11. Season with salt if necessary then garnish with chopped fresh coriander leaves and freshly grated coconuts.
12. Serve with white rice.

Malvani Chicken Curry

This Indian curry features tender chicken cooked in a sweet and spicy coconut sauce. Its sweet, hot, and spicy, a perfect combination for spice lovers.

PREP TIME20 mins

COOK TIME40 mins

COURSEMain Course

CUISINEIndian

SERVINGS2

INGREDIENTS  

Malvani masala

• 1 medium bay leaf
• 1/2 medium nutmeg
• 6 cloves
• 7 dry red chili
• 10 black peppercorns
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 tsp cumin seed
• 1 tsp coriander seed
• 1 tsp turmeric powder

Coconut masala

• 1 medium coconut grated
• 3 green chilli chopped
• 3/4 inch fresh ginger chopped
• 5 cloves fresh garlic
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil

Curry

• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 3 medium red onions chopped
• 1/2 tbsp garlic paste
• 1/2 tbsp ginger paste
• 1 kg chicken
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• Handful grated coconut garnish
• Handful coriander leaf garnish

INSTRUCTIONS 

Malvani and Coconut masala

• Dry roast and grind all ingredients for malvani masala and set aside
• Grind ingredients for coconut masala except vegetable oil
• Add vegetable oil to the saucepan on medium heat, then saute red onions and coconut masala for 10 minutes
• Pour the coconut and onions into a blender and blend till smooth

Chicken curry

• Add oil to the saucepan and saute red onions with garlic and ginger paste,
• Add 3 teaspoons of ground malvani masala, red chili powder and salt and stir well
• Add chicken and coat well with the spice mix. Stir for 3 minutes
• Add coconut masala and stir for 2 minutes
• Add water and leave to cook for about 20 minutes till chicken is tender and the curry thickens.
• Season with salt if necessary then garnish with chopped fresh coriander leaves and freshly grated coconuts.
• Serve with white rice.