Chicken Xacuti

Ingredients :

·         1 kg Chicken pieces

·         8 to 10 dry Kashmiri Chillies (remove stalks & deseed)

·         3 large Onions (chopped)

·         4 med. Potatoes (halved)

·         3 med. Tomatoes (pureed)

·         1 tsp Cumin seeds

·         ½ tsp. Mustard seeds

·         4 tbsps. Coriander seeds

·         20 Peppercorns

·         ¼ piece Nutmeg

·         3 tbsps. Poppy seeds (khuskhus)

·         2 tbsps. Til seeds

·         ¼ tsp. Aniseed (Sauf)

·         1 Star Anise

·         1 tsp. Turmeric pwd.

·         5 Green Elaichi

·         ¼ tsp. Fenugreek seeds (Methi)

·         2” Cinnamon Sticks

·         8 Cloves

·         10 flakes fresh Garlic

·         1”fresh Ginger

·         3 fresh Green Chillies

·         3 tbps. Tamarind paste or pulp

·         ½ Coconut (scraped) + ¼ coconut cut into pieces

·         1 tsp. Sugar

·         4 tbsps. Vegetable Oil

·         Chopped coriander leaves for garnishing

 Method :

Wash the chicken pieces, apply salt & keep aside. 
On a tawa or pan,  toast  the kashmiri chillies, cumin, coriander seeds, mustard, nutmeg, pepper, cloves, cinnamon, khuskhus, til, methi seeds, sauf, elaichi, star anise, fresh or dry grated coconut, coconut pieces, 2 of the onions in a little oil each separately. 
Toast well but do not burn.
 Keep the toasted coconut pieces aside separately till required. 
Grind the remaining toasted spices alongwith ginger, garlic, green chillies & turmeric to a fine paste with water. 
Apply half of the masala paste to the chicken pieces, mix well & let it marinate for about 30 mins.
Take a large pot or pan & heat oil on med. heat. 
Fry one chopped onion till light golden. 
Add the marinated chicken & saute well for about 5 mins. 
Add the remaining masala paste, saute & fry the chicken along with the masala well. 
Add sufficient water to the chicken to form a gravy. 
Rinse the halved potatoes in water & add to the chicken gravy. 
Adjust salt to taste. 
Let the chicken come to a boil & then reduce heat & let it cook covered for about 5 mins. 
Now add the tamarind pulp & tomato puree & mix well. 
Let it simmer till the chicken & potatoes are cooked till tender & gravy is sufficiently thick. 
Make sure it is not too thick. 
Garnish with reserved coconut pieces & coriander leaves. 
Let the gravy settle for a few minutes for the flavours to meld. 
Serve hot with steamed rice, bread or sannas.

Tip :

*  Chicken Xacuti tastes better if eaten the next day.

*  Do not over cook the chicken.

*  Make sure you toast the coconut to a golden brown.

*  Well toasted spices give out a fragrant aroma.

*  You can exclude potatoes if you wish but I prefer with potatoes.

*  Use only Kashmiri Chillies.

*  Try & use fresh tamarind pulp.

*  Marinating chicken overnight brings out the flavours better.