Madurai Chicken Fry

Ingredients

• - 500g chicken
• - 3 tbsp sesame oil or oil
• - 2 large onions
• - 2 tomatoes
• - 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
• - 1 tsp red chilli powder
• - 1 tsp coriander powder
• - 1/2 tsp turmeric
• - 1/2 tsp garam masala
• - 1 sprig curry leaves
• - Salt to taste
• - Fresh coriander

Method

1. Marinate chicken: Cut 750g chicken into pieces. Mix with 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste, 2 tsp red chilli powder, 1 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp fennel powder, 1 tsp garam masala, juice of 1 lemon and salt. Marinate 2 hours.
2. Make coarse masala paste: Grind 5 garlic cloves, 1-inch ginger, 4 dried red chillies and 1 tsp fennel seeds to a coarse paste.
3. Fry shallots: Heat 4 tbsp sesame oil. Add 1 cup sliced shallots and fry on medium-high heat 8-10 minutes until very dark golden.
4. Add ground masala: Add the coarse garlic-chilli paste and fry 3 minutes.
5. Add marinated chicken: Add chicken pieces and fry on high heat 8-10 minutes, tossing frequently to sear all sides.
6. Cook dry: Do not add water — Madurai chicken fry is a dry dish. Cook on medium heat 15-18 minutes until fully cooked.
7. Char the edges: Increase heat to high for the last 3 minutes to get slightly charred caramelised edges.
8. Add tempering: Push chicken aside. Add 1 tsp mustard seeds and curry leaves to the pan. Toss everything together.
9. Check doneness: Chicken should be completely cooked through and dark with a dry coating.
10. Serve: Garnish with sliced raw onion rings and lemon wedges. Madurai chicken fry should be dark, dry and intensely flavoured.