Chicken Fry (From Coorg: Maybe)

This chicken dish originates from Coorg, a region in Western India in the state of Karnataka (See end of post for some argument on this issue) . In most cities in the united states the Indian food we get in restaurants features mostly a north Indian style cuisine. I find it hard to explain to my friends how India has so many dfferent types of cuisines, each so distinct from the other. Not only do cuisines change from state to state but also within regions in a state. I originally read this recipe in my Thangam Phillip cookbook. Since then I have forgotten the exact proportions she had in her recipe, so here is my version of it. Eaten with rice its absolutely delicious. I love to scrape up the pan drippings on the bottom of the pan in this recipe. Enjoy.



Ingredients


1 package cut and skinless chicken pieces
2 pods garlic
2 green chillies
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp pepper corns
a handful of cilantro leaves
1 onion
2 tblsp white vinegar
4 to 8 tblsp water
salt to taste
Oil

Grind together all ingredients (except oil) in a blender to form a smooth thick paste. Add little water at a time to aid smooth grinding of all ingredients. Marinate chicken in this mixture for at least 30 minutes.

Heat oil in a pan. Add marinated chicken (don't add extra paste yet) and fry on high heat for 10 15 minutes. Once chicken browns, add left over paste and cook on a medium high heat till most of the water dries up leaving a nice thick curry sauce and the chicken is nice and browned. Serve hot with steamed rice.















It was pointed out, not very kindly I must say, that this dish looks nothing like real Coorg chicken (See comments). At first I was mad at this blatant rudeness but then Cariz is proud of being from Coorg/Kodava and didn't think my recipe was authentic. He was hurtfully being truthful. I guess Thangam Phillip who published this recipe is wrong or my cooking skills are so messed up that it looks nothing like authentic chicken from Coorg (Ha Ha) or Cariz doesn't know of the existence of this recipe. Thats the great thing about recipes. They vary from home to home even if they are from the same region. Which one is really "authentic". I know that in Konkani cooking that happens all the time. Anyway I have duly renamed my recipe in case it offends another proud member of the Kodava community. Howevr if I ever see a "not so authentic" recipe from the Chitrapur Saraswat Community, I will stop by and leave a comment that says "Hey, what a nice recipe. Different from what i've eaten I will definitely try it".