Chettinad Pepper Chicken

Recipe sourced:Gloria Fernandes ~ pepperchilliandvanilla.blogspot.com
Ingredients:-
500gm chicken
Salt
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp lime juice
1 tsp pepper powder

2 onions chopped finely
2 tomatoes chopped finely
1 ~ 2 tbsps ginger garlic paste
1 green chili chopped finely
1 1/2 tbsp freshly crushed blackpeppercorns
2 ~ 3 cardamom seeds
3 ~ 4 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp red chili powder or more if not using chopped green chili
1 tbsp coriander powder
1 tsp fennel powder
2 ~ 3 sprig curry leaves
1 tsp lime juice
1 1/2 tbsp oil
1/4 ~ 1/2 cup water
Salt to taste

Method:-

Was the chicken pieces well, add salt, pepper, lime juice and turmeric powder and leave aside for 15 to 20 minutes.

Meanwhile chop the onions and tomatoes finely.

Heat the vessel add oil once oil is hot add whole spices, curry leaves followed by onion and ginger garlic paste.

Fry well till raw smell goes off and the onions turn light brown.

Then add the chopped green chillies and chopped tomatoes, saute well till it turns mushy.

Add the coriander powder and chili powder, fennel powder and saute for a minute.

Then add the chicken pieces and saute for 4 to 5 minutes.

Add about 1/4 to 1/2 cup water and mix well.

Cover with a lid and let it cook over medium flame for 10 to 20 minutes.

The chicken needs to be tender and cooked well.

Check for salt, add if needed.

Lastly add the crushed pepper and mix well.

Switch the flame off and add lime juice and serve hot with rice / chapati / paratha or poori.

Notes:-

Adding green chilies is purely optional you can skip green chilies and add 1 tsp red chili powder more instead.

Also some use whole red chilies instead of chili powder, you can add 3 to 4 broken red chilies and skip green chilies.

Amount of pepper added depends on your tolerance level but this dish gets its taste and flavour from pepper.

Don't skip curry leaves it gives a unique flavour.

You may use chicken with bone or completely boneless.