Chicken xacuti with rice
Goa's xacuti: chicken in a rich brown gravy of grated coconut and onion roasted dark and ground with Kashmiri chillies, poppy seeds, star anise, nutmeg and other whole spices. It is made for Sundays and feasts and eaten with rice or Goan pao; mutton xacuti is just as loved.
- 1 h 10Time
- 45 minHands-on
- 4Portions
- 39 gprotein per portion
- 840kcal per portion
Ingredients for 4 portions
- 800 gChicken curry cut
- 3 mlTurmeric
- 1 tbspGinger-garlic paste
- ½Lemon (nimbu), juice
- to tasteSalt
- 100 gGrated coconut, fresh or frozen
- 1Onion, thinly sliced, for the masala
- 8Dried red chillies, Kashmiri
- 1 tbspCoriander seeds (sabut dhania)
- 1 tspCumin, seeds
- 1 tbspPoppy seeds (khus khus)
- 3 mlFennel seeds
- 1 tspBlack pepper, whole peppercorns
- 4Cloves
- 2 gCinnamon, a 3 cm piece of stick
- 1Star anise
- 1 mlNutmeg, freshly grated
- 3 tbspRefined oil
- 1Onion, finely chopped, for the gravy
- ≈ 300 mlWater, hot
- 2 tbspCoriander leaves, chopped
On the side
- 350 gRice
- ≈ 800 mlWater, for the rice
Method
- Wash the chicken and mix it with the turmeric, ginger-garlic paste, lemon juice and salt.
- Leave the chicken to marinate for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, dry-roast the dried red chillies, coriander seeds, cumin, poppy seeds, fennel seeds, peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon and star anise in a pan on a low flame for 3–4 minutes, until fragrant. Tip onto a plate.
- Heat a third of the oil in the same pan and fry the sliced onion until golden, about 5 minutes. Add the coconut and roast, stirring, on a medium-low flame until deep brown and toasty, 7–8 minutes. Don't let it burn.
- Grind the roasted spices, coconut and onion with the nutmeg and a third of the water into a fine paste.
- Heat the rest of the oil in a kadai and fry the chopped onion until golden, about 6 minutes.
- Stir in the masala paste and fry for 3–4 minutes until the oil starts to separate. Add the chicken, turn it to coat in the masala and cook for 5 minutes.
- Pour in the rest of the water, cover and simmer on a low flame for about 25 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the chicken is tender.
- Meanwhile, wash the rice two or three times, put it in a pan with the water and bring to the boil.
- Cover, turn the heat to low and cook the rice for 15 minutes, until the water is absorbed. Keep it covered.
- Uncover and let the gravy cook down for a few minutes until thick. Sprinkle with coriander leaves and serve with the rice.
