Easter Chicken Curry

 Ingredients:

1.  Chicken – 500 gm, cut into medium size pieces
   To grind:
2. Kashmiri chilli powder – 1 tbsp
   Coriander powder – 1 tbsp
   Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
   Garlic chopped – 3 tsp              
   Ginger chopped – 2 tsp                                 
   Pepper powder – 1/2 tsp
   Cloves – 4
   Cardamom – 2
   Cinnamon – a small stick
   Fennel seeds (perumjeerakam) – 1/2 tsp
   Poppy seeds (kashakasha) – 1/2 tsp
   For Masala
3. Onion – 3 medium, finely sliced
   Small onion (shallots) – 6, finely sliced
   Tomato – 1, chopped
   Non-sour yogurt (pulikkatha thairu)- 1/4 cup
4. Boiling water – 3/4 cup
5. Thick coconut milk – 1/2 cup
6. Cashew paste – 2 tbsp
   For garnishing
7. Boiled egg – 1
   Fried cashews – a handful

Method of preparation:

 Grind the ingredients (number 2) listed under ‘to grind’ label, with 2 tbsp water, to a fine paste. Take half of the ground paste & apply to the cleaned chicken pieces. Add salt also to the marinated chicken & keep it aside for half an hour. Meanwhile heat oil in a pan & add sliced onions & salt. Cook till it becomes golden brown in color. Remove half of the cooked onions to another plate & keep it aside. Add small onions to the onions in the cooking pan. Cook for a few minutes. Add tomato & cook till it becomes soft. Add non sour yogurt to this & mix well. Add remaining half of the ground masala & fry it till the oil starts appearing. Add marinated chicken pieces to this & mix well. Add 3/4 cup of boiling water & cover & cook the chicken.
Add cashew paste & the kept aside cooked onions to thick coconut milk. Stir well. When the chicken is almost cooked, add coconut milk mixture to the curry. Cook till the gravy becomes thick & the chicken pieces are coated well with the masala. The consistency of this curry is semi dry chicken, it has a pasty masala. Garnish the cooked chicken with boiled egg & fried cashew. Serve hot with pulao/ghee rice/appam/roti etc;