Kundapur chicken ghee roast
This chicken dish, named after the town of Kundapur, is often served with quite a lot of sauce, but chef Sriram Aylur treats it more like a kebab – with the same flavours; coconut, coriander, fennel and fenugreek.
- 500g of chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 25g of ginger and garlic paste, (see note)
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- pea shoots, to garnish (optional)
- 15 byadgi chillies, dried (you could use dried kashmiri chillies as a substitute)
- 25g of coriander seeds
- 15g of fennel seeds
- 7.5g of fenugreek seeds
- 15g of black peppercorns
- 15g of cumin seeds
- 9 garlic cloves
- 12 cashew nuts
- 50g of ghee, plus extra for searing the chicken
- 100g of onion, chopped
- 10g of ginger and garlic paste, (see note)
- 50g of tomatoes, chopped
- 5g of ground turmeric
- 5g of jaggery, (you could use muscovado or panela sugar as as substitute)
- 5g of tamarind paste
- 3 curry leaves, finely chopped
- 25g of toasted coconut flakes
- Put the chicken in a bowl and add the turmeric, ginger and garlic paste, lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Mix to combine then set aside to marinate for 30 minutes
- For the spice mix, toast all the ingredients in a dry pan until aromatic. Transfer to a small food processor or spice grinder and blitz into a fine paste. Weigh out 30g and set aside (store the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge). Clean the pan and return it to the heat
- For the masala, toast the cashew nuts in the pan until lightly golden, then remove and crush in a pestle and mortar (or finely chop). Set aside
- Meanwhile, heat the ghee in a small saucepan. Once hot, add the onion, ginger and garlic paste, tomato and a pinch of salt. Cook for a few minutes, then add the turmeric and the 30g of spice mix
- Cook until the oil separates, then add the jaggery and tamarind. Stir and cook for a few minutes, then spread out the mixture onto a plate and allow to cool completely
- Preheat the oven to 200°C
- Once cool, combine the masala with the curry leaves, coconut flakes and crushed cashew nuts, then pour it over the marinated chicken. Stir to evenly coat
- Preheat a large flat griddle pan over a medium-high heat. Once hot, add a little ghee, followed by the coated chicken and cook until seared all over, then transfer to the oven and roast for 7 minutes, or until cooked through
- Serve the Kundapur chicken on plates garnished with pea shoots (if you like)
Mix to combine then set aside to marinate for 30 minutes For the spice mix, toast all the ingredients in a dry pan until aromatic. Transfer to a small food processor or spice grinder and blitz into a fine paste.
Weigh out 30g and set aside (store the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge). Clean the pan and return it to the heat For the masala, toast the cashew nuts in the pan until lightly golden, then remove and crush in a pestle and mortar (or finely chop). Set aside Meanwhile, heat the ghee in a small saucepan.
Once hot, add the onion, ginger and garlic paste, tomato and a pinch of salt. Cook for a few minutes, then add the turmeric and the 30g of spice mix Cook until the oil separates, then add the jaggery and tamarind.
