Black Pepper chicken marinated in Yoghurt-spice.
Black Pepper chicken marinated in Yoghurt-spice.A popular south Indian pepper chicken masala curry with a deep satisfying gravy so thick, a second serve is a must.
- Prep time
- 20 min
- Cook time
- 1 hr
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup plain yoghurt
- 2 tsp Black peppercorns crushed
- salt to season
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
- 2 tbsp minced garlic
- 3 tbsp ginger paste(used for the marinade and cooking)
- 6 cardamom pods crushed(used for marinade and cooking)
- 3 green chillies
- a piece of Cinnamon(1-2 inch)
- 700 g to 1kg of your favorite chicken parts(this can be a mix of drumsticks, breast, or thighs)
- 1/4 cup oil( you might need less so use as needed)
- 1 tsp mustard seed
- 2 medium-sized Onions finely sliced
- 1 sprig of curry leaves
- 1 tsp tamarind paste(if using pulp with seeds-soak 1 tablespoon of tamarind with seed in 1/4 cup warm water for 10 minutes, remove seed and use the juice)
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
Instructions
- 1
An hour or two before you begin cooking, start with the yoghurt chicken marinade.
- 2
Have all the ingredients ready; this will help you save time.
- 3
A word of advice: if you are using frozen chicken, make sure that the chicken is completely defrosted before marinating it.
- 4
The marinade will not be absorbed if the chicken parts are frozen or still cold.
- 5
Choose a pan that can hold all the chicken parts without crowding. This bowl should also be able to fit into the refrigerator.
- 6
Into this bowl, add yoghurt, crushed peppercorns, salt, turmeric powder, garlic and ginger paste, and cardamom.
- 7
Mix all the ingredients with a spoon.
- 8
Season with salt as needed, but use it sparingly as you will be adding tamarind later in the cooking process.
- 9
Place chicken parts in the marinade, and rub it over the chicken thoroughly.
- 10
Cover with cling film and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours. You can also keep the marinated chicken overnight.
- 11
Once the chicken parts have marinated for 1 to 2 hours, leave them out for 20 minutes or until they reach room temperature.
- 12
While the chicken reaches room temperature, place a large pan over medium heat, pour in the oil, and leave it to heat for a minute or two.
- 13
Once the oil heats, add curry leaves, onions, ginger-garlic, green chillies, cinnamon, the leftover cardamom pods and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes until all the ingredients turn soft.
- 14
Add the mustard seeds, cook until they splutter, and immediately add the chicken parts WITHOUT the marinade and let the chicken sear until they turn light brown on both sides.
- 15
leave the pepper chicken until they are slightly brown over medium heat, 10-15 minutes.
- 16
While the chicken browns, pour tamarind juice over the remaining marinade in the bowl and mix.
- 17
Once the chicken parts are slightly brown, pour in the tamarind with the remaining marinade onto the wok with the browned chicken parts.
- 18
Stir constantly and let the gravy reduce by half. This should take 15-20 minutes over medium heat. Check for seasoning.
- 19
As the chicken absorbs the tamarind and yoghurt marinade, pour in the coconut milk and cook over medium heat until the gravy is very thick.
- 20
Serve with warm rice or your favourite type of roti.