It was the same story with Indo-Chinese non-vegetarian recipes. She had quite a variety of recipes in hand and was especially good at making them. Back then, restaurants were fewer and her cooking was deemed truly restaurant-style.
This Pepper Chicken, however, is a humble concoction of her daughter, yours truly. There was some chicken at home, amma was not sure what to make with it and said I can do what I wanted. Ah, the golden words. Since we already had a couple vegetable curries for lunch anyway, I was under no pressure to match my chicken dish with anything - it could be anything I wanted. So this simple Kerala-style Pepper Chicken came to be.
Dry Indian Pepper Chicken Recipe-Pepper Chicken Masala Recipe
Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 20 minutes Serves 2
Ingredients: 250 gm of boneless chicken breast, cleaned and cut into long strips 1 cup of sliced onions 1.5 teaspoon of whole black pepper corn 1 teaspoon of fennel seeds (saunf / perumjeerakam) 1 teaspoon of coriander powder 1 teaspoon of chicken masala (or meat masala or garam masala) 3 cloves of garlic, crushed 1 small piece of ginger, crushed 1 tablespoon of oil (preferably coconut oil) ¼ teaspoon of mustard seeds 1 strand of curry leaves ½ teaspoon of vinegar or lemon juice
How to make Pepper Chicken:
Heat oil and add the mustard seeds. When they pop, add the sliced onions and sautè until they turn golden brown. I like the onions very nicely roasted so I let it stay longer.
Meanwhile, coarsely crush or grind the peppercorn and fennel seeds.
Once the onions are brown, add the pepper+fennel powder along with the coriander powder and chicken masala. Top off with the ginger and garlic. Fry for a minute.
Next, add the chicken pieces and curry leaves. Mix well and add ¼ cup water. Let it come to boil and cook covered on low heat until the chicken pieces are soft and tender (about 15 mins). Make sure you give it a stir every now and then.
When the chicken is cooked, cook further leaving the pan open so that any extra moisture is absorbed. Remember this is a dry pepper chicken preparation. Finally add the vinegar or lemon juice along with salt, cook for another 2-3 mins, and remove from fire. You can add some more freshly ground pepper powder on top before serving the Pepper Chicken.
Serve Pepper Chicken hot with steamed rice, thoran , and mezhukkupuratti of choice.
It was the same story with Indo-Chinese non-vegetarian recipes. She had quite a variety of recipes in hand and was especially good at making them. Back then, restaurants were fewer and her cooking was deemed truly restaurant-style.
This Pepper Chicken, however, is a humble concoction of her daughter, yours truly. There was some chicken at home, amma was not sure what to make with it and said I can do what I wanted. Ah, the golden words. Since we already had a couple vegetable curries for lunch anyway, I was under no pressure to match my chicken dish with anything - it could be anything I wanted. So this simple Kerala-style Pepper Chicken came to be.
Dry Indian Pepper Chicken Recipe-Pepper Chicken Masala Recipe
Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 20 minutes Serves 2
Ingredients: 250 gm of boneless chicken breast, cleaned and cut into long strips 1 cup of sliced onions 1.5 teaspoon of whole black pepper corn 1 teaspoon of fennel seeds (saunf / perumjeerakam) 1 teaspoon of coriander powder 1 teaspoon of chicken masala (or meat masala or garam masala) 3 cloves of garlic, crushed 1 small piece of ginger, crushed 1 tablespoon of oil (preferably coconut oil) ¼ teaspoon of mustard seeds 1 strand of curry leaves ½ teaspoon of vinegar or lemon juice
How to make Pepper Chicken:
Heat oil and add the mustard seeds. When they pop, add the sliced onions and sautè until they turn golden brown. I like the onions very nicely roasted so I let it stay longer.
Meanwhile, coarsely crush or grind the peppercorn and fennel seeds.
Once the onions are brown, add the pepper+fennel powder along with the coriander powder and chicken masala. Top off with the ginger and garlic. Fry for a minute.
Next, add the chicken pieces and curry leaves. Mix well and add ¼ cup water. Let it come to boil and cook covered on low heat until the chicken pieces are soft and tender (about 15 mins). Make sure you give it a stir every now and then.
When the chicken is cooked, cook further leaving the pan open so that any extra moisture is absorbed. Remember this is a dry pepper chicken preparation. Finally add the vinegar or lemon juice along with salt, cook for another 2-3 mins, and remove from fire. You can add some more freshly ground pepper powder on top before serving the Pepper Chicken.
Serve Pepper Chicken hot with steamed rice, thoran , and mezhukkupuratti of choice.
