Chicken kondattam is a very spicy and delicious south Indian dish that is very simple and can be made quickly with only a handful of ingredients. Unlike other kondattam recipes, this recipe does not require any sun-dried ingredients. The chicken is first marinated in a spicy mix, shallow fried, and sautéed in masala gravy. The dish goes well with rice, chapati, parotta, and many more or can simply be served as a starter.
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This recipe yields 3-4 servings.
Ingredients
For Marinating:
- Chicken breast – 500gm
- Turmeric powder- ¼ th tsp
- Kashmiri chili powder – 1 tbsp
- Ginger garlic paste- 1 tbsp
- Lemon juice- juice of 1 small lemon
- Curry leaves- a few
- Salt as per taste
Other Ingredients:
- Dried Red Chili- 2 nos.
- Crushed ginger garlic- 1tbsp
- Shallots- 15-20, cut roughly
- Tomato- 1 small, finely chopped
- Turmeric powder- ¼ th tsp
- Kashmiri chili powder- ½ tsp
- Coriander powder- 1 tsp
- Garam masala- ½ tsp
- Red chili flakes-2 tsp
- Curry leaves- a few, to garnish
- Sugar- 1tsp
- Salt- ½ tsp
- Coconut oil- 3 tbsp
- Water- ¼ cup
Directions:
- First, marinate the chicken for at least half an hour.
- For that wash, pat the chicken dry and cut it into small pieces. Transfer these into a bowl. To that, add salt, turmeric powder, Kashmiri chili powder, lemon juice, and a few curry leaves.
- Mix everything well with your hands. Make sure that the masalas are well coated on the chicken pieces. Close it with a lid and keep it aside for half to 1 hour.
- The Next step involves frying the chicken pieces. The chicken is shallow fried here rather than deep fry.
- In a pan, add oil. When the oil is hot, start adding the marinated chicken. Cover and cook for about 3 minutes on medium flame. This would help the chicken cook and be soft and juicy.
- After 3 minutes, flip the pieces. Bring the heat to low to medium flame. Cover and cook other side for approximately 3 minutes.
- Now remove the lid and check if the pieces are fried on both sides. If not continue till they are done. Once done, remove it from the pan and keep it aside.
- The final step involves making gravy.
- For that, take the same pan in which the chicken was fried. Add oil if needed. On medium heat, add dried chilies. Stir it.
- Next, add crushed ginger-garlic. Stir and fry till the raw aroma of ginger and garlic goes away.
- Next, add the shallots and fry till they turn golden in color.
- Once the onion turn golden, on a low flame, add the spices: turmeric powder, Kashmiri chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala, and red chili flakes. Mix everything and fry for a minute.
- Next, add the finely chopped tomatoes. Add salt and half a cup of water. Mix well. Cover and cook till the tomatoes turn soft on medium flame. Add sugar. As this is a very spicy dish, adding sugar will balance the spice. Mix nicely.
- Toss in the fried chicken pieces. Mix well. Make sure the pieces are well coated with the masala.
- Finally, add some curry leaves and cover, and cook on low flame for a minute or two.
- Serve immediately and enjoy while hot.
Tips:
- I have used boneless chicken here. Chicken with bones can also be used.
- The use of coconut oil is recommended. You can use any oil according to availability. But using coconut oil will enhance the taste.
- Instead of using shallots, onion can also be used. I have tried both ways and I recommend using shallots.
- The actual recipe uses tomato ketchup instead of tomatoes. The sweet and tangy flavor of tomato ketchup will balance the spice level. In that case, you can avoid adding sugar.