Chicken ghee roast with neer dosa
Mangalore's chicken ghee roast: chicken in a fiery, tangy red masala of roasted Byadgi chillies, coriander seeds, pepper and garlic with tamarind, cooked down in plenty of ghee until it clings to the meat. It is eaten with soft, lacy neer dosa; soak the rice for the batter for 4 hours beforehand. Kori gassi, a coconut curry, is the other Mangalorean chicken.
- 1 h 10Time
- 55 minHands-on
- 4Portions
- 37 gprotein per portion
- 800kcal per portion
Ingredients for 4 portions
- 800 gChicken curry cut
- 100 gCurd, whisked
- 3 mlTurmeric
- 1Lemon (nimbu), juice
- to tasteSalt
- 15Dried red chillies, Byadgi, stalks removed
- 1 tbspCoriander seeds (sabut dhania)
- 1 tspCumin, seeds
- 1 tspBlack pepper, whole peppercorns
- 3 mlFennel seeds
- 1 mlFenugreek seeds
- 5 tbspGhee
- 10 clovesGarlic, peeled
- 10 gTamarind
- ≈ 150 mlWater, warm, for the masala
- 1 tspJaggery
- 2 sprigsCurry leaves
On the side
- 250 gRice, soaked for 4 hours
- 50 gGrated coconut, fresh or frozen
- ≈ 600 mlWater, for the batter
- 1 tbspCoconut oil, for the tawa
Method
- Wash the chicken and mix it with the curd, turmeric, lemon juice and salt.
- Leave the chicken to marinate for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the neer dosa batter: drain the soaked rice and grind it with the coconut and a little of the water into a very smooth batter. Stir in the rest of the water and a pinch of salt; it should be as thin as milk.
- Roast the chillies, coriander seeds, cumin, peppercorns, fennel and fenugreek seeds in a little of the ghee on a low flame for 3–4 minutes, until crisp and fragrant. Don't let the chillies darken.
- Let the spices cool a little, then grind them with the garlic, tamarind and warm water into a very smooth red paste.
- Heat most of the ghee in a heavy kadai and fry the paste on a low flame, stirring, until it darkens to a deep red and the ghee separates, about 8 minutes.
- Add the chicken with its marinade and mix well. Cover and cook on a medium-low flame for about 20 minutes, stirring now and then, until the chicken is cooked through.
- Meanwhile, make the neer dosas: heat a tawa or non-stick pan and wipe it with coconut oil. Pour a ladle of batter from the edge towards the centre to make a thin, lacy round, cover and cook for a minute until set and white, without flipping. Fold it into quarters and lift it out. Make about 14.
- Uncover and add the rest of the ghee, the jaggery and curry leaves. Roast on a high flame, stirring, for about 5 minutes, until the masala is dry and clings to the chicken, glossy with ghee.
- Serve the ghee roast hot with the neer dosas.
