Kolhapuri Chicken Rassa
thin, fiery red chicken curry built on roasted coconut and dagad phool
Allergens in Kolhapuri Chicken Rassa: peanuts, sesame.
Ingredients
Quantities for 4.
- 800g, on the bone, cut into curry pieces Chicken
- 3 medium, 2 for the masala and 1 for the gravy Onion
- 60g, grated Dried Coconutkhobra; roasted almost black, this is the backbone of kala masala
- 3 tbsp, freshly grated Coconutoptional
- 10 cloves Garlic
- 4cm piece Ginger
- 2 tbsp Kashmiri Chillifor the red without wrecking anyone
- 1.5 tsp Chilli PowderKolhapur would use more
- 1 tsp Stone Flowerdagad phool; the smoky note that makes this taste Kolhapuri
- 1 tbsp Poppy Seedsoptional
- 1 tbsp Sesame
- 1 tbsp Coriander Powder
- 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
- 1 tsp Black Pepper
- 4 Cloves
- 2cm piece Cinnamon
- 1 Black Cardamomoptional
- 1 Bay Leafoptional
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric
- 5 tbsp Groundnut Oil
- 600ml Water
- 4 tbsp, chopped Coriander Leavesoptional
- to taste Salt
Cookware
stovetop, kadhai, blender
Checked against the ingredient list for ten allergens: milk, egg, fish, crustaceans, tree nuts, peanuts, sesame, mustard, soy and gluten. Brands vary, so read the label on anything new to you.
Before you start
- Marinate the chicken with the turmeric, half the ginger-garlic and 1 tsp salt for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
- Roast the whole spices, the dried coconut and the sesame separately, then cool them completely before grinding. Warm spices grind into a paste that turns bitter.
- The rassa is meant to be thin and drinkable. Keep 600ml water to hand and do not let it reduce to a thick gravy.
Method
- Grind the ginger and garlic to a paste and rub half of it into the chicken with the turmeric and salt. Leave 30 minutes.
- Dry-roast the grated dried coconut over low heat for 5 minutes until it is dark brown and smells toasted, then tip it out immediately.Dark brown, not black. Burnt coconut makes the whole pot bitter and there is no fixing it.
- In the same pan, dry-roast the cumin, black pepper, cloves, cinnamon, black cardamom, stone flower, poppy seeds and sesame for 2 minutes until fragrant. Cool completely.
- Fry 2 sliced onions in 2 tbsp of the oil over medium heat for 10 minutes until deep brown, then cool.
- Grind the roasted coconut, roasted spices, fried onion, kashmiri chilli, chilli powder and coriander powder with 100ml water to a smooth dark masala.
- Heat the remaining oil in a heavy pan with the bay leaf, add the last onion, finely chopped, and cook 8 minutes until golden.
- Add the remaining ginger-garlic paste, fry 1 minute, then add the chicken and sear over high heat for 5 minutes until the pieces are opaque all over.
- Stir in the ground masala and fry over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, scraping the base, until it darkens and oil pools at the sides.This is the step that decides the curry. Under-fried masala tastes raw and grainy no matter how long you simmer it afterwards.
- Pour in the water, season with salt, bring to a boil then simmer uncovered 25 minutes until the chicken is tender and a red film of oil floats on the surface.
- Stir in the fresh coconut, if using, check the salt and finish with coriander.
- Rest 10 minutes off the heat and serve with bhakri or chapati and raw onion.
Safe temperatures: Chicken and duck are done at 74°C / 165°F, taken at the thickest part and clear of the bone. Reheat leftovers to 74°C / 165°F. FoodSafety.gov
Storage
Keeps 3 days refrigerated and is better the next day. Reheat over low heat with a splash of water; it also freezes well for 2 months.
Nutrition Medium estimate
One serving of Kolhapuri Chicken Rassa (475 g) is about 626 calories, or 133 calories per 100 g.
High protein: 48 g a serving, 31% of the calories
| Per serving475 g | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 626 kcal | 133 kcal |
| Protein | 47.9 g | 10 g |
| Carbohydrate | 22.6 g | 5 g |
| of which sugars | 6.0 g | 1 g |
| Fibre | 8.9 g | 2 g |
| Fat | 39.9 g | 8 g |
| of which saturated | 16.8 g | 4 g |
| of which unsaturated | 19.8 g | 4 g |
Ingredients given to taste count as zero, so the real figures run a little higher. Nearest database match used for stone flower. Estimated from raw ingredients using USDA FoodData Central.
More like this: Gluten-free Indian recipes · Dairy-free Indian recipes · Maharashtrian recipes
Times, yields, allergens and nutrition are guidance. Use your own judgement on doneness and on storing. More in About.