Name: Kerala Coconut Chicken Curry
Yield: Serves 6 to 8 as part of a rice-based meal
Cuisine: India
Ingredients: 1½ tablespoons coriander seed; 4 dried red chiles, each broken into 2 or 3 pieces; 1½ tablespoons minced ginger; 6 green cayenne chiles or 8 large jalapeño chiles, cut lengthwise in half and seeded; 2 teaspoons salt; 1 to 2 tablespoons water; 3 to 4 waxy potatoes, peeled and cut into ¾-inch cubes; 2 cups canned coconut milk, separated into 1 cup thinner and 1 cup creamier milk; ¾ cup water; ¼ teaspoon cumin seed; ¼ teaspoon anise seed; ½ teaspoon mustard seed; 2 tablespoons minced garlic; 2 whole chicken breasts (2 to 2½ pounds); 3 to 4 dried curry leaves; 1 inch cinnamon stick, broken into pieces; 2 green cardamom pods, smashed; ¼ teaspoon black peppercorns; 2 tablespoons rice vinegar or cider vinegar; 2 onions, thinly sliced; ½ teaspoon white poppy seed; ½ teaspoon turmeric; 3 tablespoons vegetable oil or ghee

Preparation info

Serves
6 to 8
as part of a rice-based meal

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Seductions of Rice

By Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid

Published 1998

About

There is a familiar joke told in India about Kerala, where this chicken curry comes from, that Kerala’s largest export is people and their brains. Kerala is a unique state. It has the highest population density in India, and it has by far the highest literacy rate, especially for women. It is not unusual to meet Keralese doctors, engineers, and lawyers outside of India, as well as in other parts of the country. There is some truth to the joke.

As you fly into Kerala, the first thing