I have spent a good time of my life in Bangalore but cannot talk for 2 minutes in Kannada. I really want to be able to talk the language but I am so so bad at it. My maid Rani is from here and talks Kannada and we had an agreement in the beginning that I will talk to her in Kannada only so I will be able to pick up the language. Rani has stayed with me for a long time now and she now speaks very good Tamil. You now know who learnt from whom. She says I am the worst Kannada speaker ever and has asked me a lot of times to give up on my idea of me talking in Kannada. I have not given up yet. But I feel a little better and hopeful when I cook Karnataka dishes. At least I started somewhere. It brings a little bit of real Karnataka to my home. Today, we are going to make Kori Gassi – Kori is Chicken and Gassi is curry. This curry is from the coastal region of Mangalore. Its a coconut and red chilli based curry that is so delicious. This recipe has been inspired from Chef Sriram Aylur of the famed Michelin rated restaurant Quilon in London. Its the only South Indian restaurant in the world to have a Michelin star. Kori Gassi is one of the most popular recipes in his kitchen and in an article, he says, “One thing that taught me, that change can’t be forced is when I decided to remove Mangalore Chicken curry, which we have had for the last 11 years. In a few months people started complaining and I had to put it back on the menu. In the mature gourmet market, people come back to the same dish in a restaurant.” So this recipe is that good. I am sure you will come back for more. Come with me. Lets ride the gravy train.
There is one ingredient that is important for the fiery orange color and the flavor of Kori Gassi. Its the Karnataka Byadagi chillies. BAY-DIG-GAY as its pronounced, Byadagi Chillies come from the Haveri district in Karnataka. The chilli is long and wrinkled and deeply red. Its not very hot but imparts a dark color and aroma. Its not a very spicy variety of chilli. So if you can get Byadagi chillies, its good. Else you can use Kashmiri chillies.
Heat coconut oil in a pan and saute shallots (small onions) and garlic for 3-4 minutes on medium flame until the shallots are pink and soft. Remove from pan and set aside. Add in the Byadagi chillies in the same pan and roast for 30 seconds. I added 5 chillies. This variety of chilli is not hot. So add up to 12 chillies if you want a spicy curry. I added less as my little son loves coconut milk based curries and I want to see him enjoying the food rather than running for water. I am working on his spice levels one chilli at a time. So add chillies according to your taste. Once the chilli is roasted, set aside. In the same pan, add a teaspoon of ghee and add in the dry spices namely fenugreek seeds ( don’t add too much, else the curry will become bitter), cumin seeds, coriander seeds and black pepper corns. Roast for a minute until fragrant. Set aside to cool.
Grind the onion mixture, chillies and the roasted spices with a cup of water to a very very VERY smooth paste. This is a very silky curry. So you want to make sure that the masala paste is ground to a very smooth texture. Set aside.
Take a pressure pan and add in the chicken pieces. Add in the rock salt, the ground masala paste and the turmeric.
Soak tamarind in hot water for 5 minutes and squeeze between your fingers to make tamarind pulp. Discard the seeds and hard bits from the pulp. Add in the tamarind pulp and the second pressed coconut milk. Here is my recipe for homemade coconut milk. Mix everything well to combine.
Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 5 whistles, approximately 10 minutes on low medium flame. While cooking, a little bit of curry might ooze from the cooker whistle nozzle and that’s perfectly normal. Once all the whistles are done, switch off the flame and wait for the pressure in the cooker to release naturally.
Now lets do the tempering. Heat ghee in a small pan and add in the cinnamon, cloves and the curry leaves. Let the curry leaves splutter. Add it to the curry.
Keep the cooker back on heat and let it come to a boil on low flame. Check for seasoning. Add salt if necessary. In the mean time make a corn starch slurry with 2 tablespoon of corn flour and half a cup of water. Add it to the curry. This will instantly thicken the curry and give a very luscious texture to the gravy. This is optional. But I really like to do this procedure as its worth it. Stir well and let the curry thicken up. It will take a minute. Add in the first pressed coconut milk and switch off the flame. Do not cook for long after adding the first pressed coconut milk.
Homemade Kori Gassi – Mangalorean style chicken curry is ready. Its traditionally served with Kori Rotti or Neer Dosa. But it goes well with Aapam, Idiyappam and Idli.
- 1 teaspoon Coconut oil
- 20 Shallots (small onions)
- 8 cloves Garlic
- 12 Byadagi Chillies ***
- 1 teaspoon Ghee
- ¼ teaspoon Fenugreek seeds
- ¾ teaspoon Cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon Black pepper corn
- 2 tablespoon Coriander seeds
- 750 grams Chicken with bone
- 2 teaspoon Rock salt
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric
- 10 grams Tamarind soaked in ½ cup of hot water
- 1 Cup First pressed milk (Thick coconut milk)
- 2 Cups Second pressed milk
- 1 teaspoon Ghee
- 2 stick Cinnamon
- 2 Cloves
- 2 sprigs Curry leaves
- 2 tablespoon Corn flour
- ½ cup water
- Heat coconut oil in a pan and saute shallots (small onions) and garlic for 3-4 minutes on medium flame until the shallots are pink and soft. Remove from pan and set aside. Add in the Byadagi chillies in the same pan and roast for 30 seconds. Once the chilli is roasted, set aside. In the same pan, add a teaspoon of ghee and add in the dry spices namely fenugreek seeds ( don’t add too much, else the curry will become bitter), cumin seeds, coriander seeds and black pepper corns. Roast for a minute until fragrant. Set aside to cool.
- Grind the onion mixture, chillies and the roasted spices with a cup of water to a very smooth paste.
- Take a pressure pan and add in the chicken pieces. Add in the rock salt, the ground masala paste and the turmeric.
- Soak tamarind in hot water for 5 minutes and squeeze between your fingers to make tamarind pulp. Discard the seeds and hard bits from the pulp. Add in the tamarind pulp and the second pressed coconut milk.
- Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 5 whistles, approximately 10 minutes on low medium flame. Once all the whistles are done, switch off the flame and wait for the pressure in the cooker to release naturally.
- Heat ghee in a small pan and add in the cinnamon, cloves and the curry leaves. Let the curry leaves splutter. Add it to the curry.
- Keep the cooker back on heat and let it come to a boil on low flame. Check for seasoning. Add salt if necessary. In the mean time make a corn starch slurry with 2 tablespoon of corn flour and half a cup of water. Add it to the curry. Stir well and let the curry thicken up. Add in the first pressed coconut milk and switch off the flame.
The post Kori Gassi – Mangalorean Chicken Curry appeared first on Kannamma Cooks.