Gastronomic tours with Swiss Cheese

Chicken Kori Rotti is a Mangalorean chicken curry dish where the curry is served over a thin, crisp rice rotti (not the regular soft rotis). It's really flavourful, and can be eaten with rice if you don't have the required rotti. I first tried it out at Mangalore Pearl when I lived in Bangalore. If you live in Bangalore and haven't been there, check out my review for Mangalore Pearl. Kori Rotti was my favourite dish there, and I was really excited when I found a packet of the specific rotti we need.

Ingredients

First, the dry ingredients that have to be roasted:

• 1.5 tsp Cumin seeds
• 2.5 tsp Coriander seeds
• 0.5 tsp Fennel seeds
• 0.25 tsp Mustard seeds
• 0.5 tsp Poppy seeds
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 15-25 red chillies (this depends on the spice level and the colour you like, use fewer chillies, and add kashmiri chilli powder if you want to reduce the spice level, but maintain the colour).
• 1 cup shredded coconut (it's okay to use frozen shredded coconut, just make sure it has some moisture and fat).
• A few curry leaves
• 1 tsp crushed garlic
• 0.5 medium onion thinly sliced (you'll use the other half below)
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil (I use peanut oil)

Next, the ingredients for frying:

• 0.25 tsp Mustard seeds
• 0.5 medium onion thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic sliced thin
• A few curry leaves
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• salt to taste
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil

Last, the ingredients to cook the chicken:

• 1-1.5 Kg (2-3lbs) Boneless Chicken Thighs (Skin is optional, but I used skinless chicken)
• 2 tsp lemon juice (lime juice works as well)
• 1 can (14oz == 1.75 cup) coconut milk

Procedure

First prepare the gravy (you can make this ahead of time as well). All of this is done in the same pot. Do not clean it out in between steps. We will use two holding bowls, one for the coconut, and one for everything else.

1. Roast the cumin, coriander, fennel, mustard and poppy seeds from the first set of ingredients above over medium heat. Don't burn them, take them off the heat once you start to smell their oils come out.
2. Transfer to a holding bowl.
3. Roast the red chillies. This will take a couple of minutes. Transfer to the same holding bowl.
4. Roast the black peppercorns. Transfer to the same holding bowl.
5. Add a little vegetable oil to the pan and heat.
6. Add in crushed garlic and fry for a few seconds.
7. Add half onion and curry leaves and fry until onion is soft.
8. Transfer this mixture to the same holding bowl as above.
9. Roast the coconut until it just starts to turn brown. Transfer this into the second holding bowl.
10. Everything except the coconut should be slightly cooled down by now, if not, wait a few more minutes before proceeding.
11. Add all of the ingredients from the first holding bowl (everything except the coconut) into a blender with a little water, and blend it until it becomes a paste. You should end up with about 2.5 cups of paste.
12. Pour half of this back into the holding bowl, and then add the coconut to the blender. Add a little more water and blend until it also turns into a paste. This will be lighter in colour than the first paste. Transfer back into the second holding bowl.

At this point you should have two gravy bowls. One with all the spices, which should be a dark orange to red coloured paste, and the second that includes the spices and the coconut. This should be a light orange paste. We now have the gravy ready, so we start with the chicken.

1. Heat up 2 tbsp oil in the pot
2. Add the mustard seeds and fry until they start sputtering
3. Add in the sliced garlic and fry for a few seconds
4. Add the curry leaves and fry for a few seconds
5. Add the turmeric and some salt. Mix
6. Add the half sliced onion, and fry until cooked.
7. Add the chicken and fry for a few minutes tossing periodically to cook all sides. Add some salt to taste.
8. Add the lemon juice and mix
9. Cover the pot and cook on medium low for 3-4 minutes
10. Add the first paste from above (the dark one), cover and cook for another 6-7 minutes
11. Add the light paste and the coconut milk, cover and cook until chicken is tender and cooked through (another 5-7 minutes).

Serve over rotti or rice. It also tends to taste better the day after, so I generally eat this for 3 days at a stretch. Enjoy and let me know what you think. Also, if anyone knows where I can find rotti in Boston, please let me know. The one place I did find it in the past has stopped carrying it.