Spicy Chicken Chettinad

Heat a pan on medium flame and dry roast the star anise, green cardamoms, cinnamon stick, cloves, 2 dry red chillies.

Add black peppercorns, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, poppy seeds and mustard seeds, and stir for 2-3 minutes until they change their colour and a pleasant aroma arises.

Keep stirring to avoid burning the spices.

Turn off the flame, transfer the roasted spices to a plate, and let it cool.

Coarsely grind the roasted spices in a mixer.

Add desiccated coconut, kashmiri red chilli, ginger, garlic cloves, green chilli, curd, tamarind paste and salt to the ground spices, and blend to make a fine paste.

Marinate the chicken pieces with the blended paste. Make sure they should be coated evenly with the paste.

Cover the bowl with a cling film or a plate and refrigerate the marinated chicken for at least an hour or overnight for the chicken to absorb more flavour.

Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed pan or wok on medium flame. Add mustard seeds and let them crackle. Add two dry red chillies and the curry leaves and stir for a few seconds.

Add chopped onions, stir and cook for 4-5 minutes or until golden brown. Stir occasionally.

Add tomatoes, turmeric and salt and cook until tomatoes are soft and the oil starts to separate. Stir occasionally in intervals. Keep adding a small amount of water while cooking, as this helps to keep the masala moist and prevent it from sticking to the bottom.

Add the marinated chicken to the pan and cook on high flame for 2-3 minutes.

Add water and bring it to a boil. Reduce the flame from low to medium and cook for 20 -30 minutes or until chicken is tender and oil releases to the surface. Stir occasionally.

Check the seasoning and adjust it to taste.

Add lemon juice and mix nicely for a few seconds.

Heat ghee in a small frying pan on medium flame.

Turn off the flame and add kashmiri red chilli powder.

Pour the tempering on the cooked chicken and mix.

Serve hot with steamed rice, roti or naan.