Chicken & Vegetable Stew

A bowl of warm stew is always comforting with some steamed rice or hot appams, neer dosa or any of your favorite dosas.

Today’s recipe is the very popular Kerala chicken stew which is mostly relished at breakfast. It is simple, hearty, very nutritious & healthy with wholesome vegetables.

This delicious stew is flavored with mild aromatic spices. It is simmered in cooling & soothing coconut milk & can be enjoyed by kids as well as adults. It is in fact wonderful for those who like their gravies light & mildly spiced.

We love this stew & I hope you will love it too… 😀

Ingredients :

• 250 gms. boneless Chicken ( washed & cut into pieces)
• 1 med. Onion (peeled & chopped)
• 1 med. Potato (peeled & cubed)
• 1 Carrot (peeled & cut into rounds)
• 8 French Beans (stringed)
• 8 florets Cauliflower
• ¼ cup fresh Green Peas
• ½ tsp. fresh Ginger (peeled & grated)
• 5 cloves fresh Garlic (finely sliced)
• 4 fresh Green Chillies (partially slit)
• ½ tsp. Fennel Seeds (freshly powdered)
• ¼  tsp. Garam Masala pwd.
• 1 cup thin Coconut Milk
• ½ cup thick Coconut Milk
• ½ cup fresh Chicken Stock (optional)
• ¼ tsp. Black Pepper pwd.
• 1 tbsp. Lime Juice
• 2 sprigs Curry Leaves
• A pinch of Sugar
• 1½  tbsps. Coconut Oil/Vegetable Oil
• 1 tbsp. Ghee
• Salt to taste

Whole Spices :

• 5 Cloves
• 1 inch piece Cinnamon Stick
• 1 Star Anise
• 4 Green Cardamoms (lightly bruised)
• 8 Peppercorns

Procedure :
Parboil carrots, potatoes, peas, French beans & cauliflower with a pinch of sugar till just tender but firm. Strain through a sieve & reserve the stock.

Heat a sufficiently deep & wide pan with ghee & oil till hot.

Add the whole spices & curry leaves. Let it splutter & release the oils. You should get a good aroma of the spices.

Add garlic, ginger, green chillies & sauté for a few seconds.

Add chopped onions & sauté till soft & translucent.

Add turmeric pwd., & chicken pieces & sauté well. Cook for about 8 mins.

Add chicken stock, reserved vegetable stock & give it a good stir.

Add thin coconut milk, garam masala pwd., fennel pwd. & salt to taste. Stir well & let it cook for about 5-6 mins.

Turn off the heat & add the thick coconut milk, lemon juice, pepper pwd. & combine well.

Temper a sprig of curry leaves with a tsp. of coconut oil & add to the stew.

Serve warm with appam, neer dosa or steamed rice.

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