A flavorful chicken curry, Mangalorean kori gassi, will win your heart with its mind-blowing flavors and you can make this restaurant style chicken curry at home with utmost ease & perfection!
Today I have a traditional chicken recipe to offer you guys from the coastal city of Mangalore which is at the shore of Arabian Sea on western coast of India. Mangalorean kori gassi, which literally means chicken curry from the heart of Mangalore, is another gem of a recipe to be added to your recipe repertoire.
Kori gassi is a spicy chicken curry which takes in fresh spices and balanced with the sweetness of coconut milk. Coconut is the primary ingredient for flavoring the gravy of this chicken curry. If you are not a coconut lover, don’t worry, you won’t smell all coconut in the final gravy!
You will need a generous amount of coconut milk along with a cupful of grated coconut which gives the kori gassi gravy the authentic touch! The right balance of spiciness from chilies and sweetness from coconut is what makes this kori gassi a classic dish!
The spice paste you make for your kori gassi is the key to a perfect dish. You need to get your hands on the ingredients but thankfully they are mostly staple in any Indian households, especially the spicy dried red chili, which is key to this dish!
You can use the spicier variety of dried red chillies, which you get locally, while making your kori gassi, becase the heat will ultimately be somewhat mellowed down with grated coconut & coconut milk. Also don’t forget to add a kick of tartness which is brought in by tamarind pulp.
While making the spice paste, make sure to grind the spices enough to get a smooth and & thick paste; it may take a while so I request you to be patient! The incredible combination of spiciness, sweetness & tartness is what would make this dish your family favorite!
Like any other Indian chicken curry recipe, you should ideally use chicken curry cut pieces, which are nothing but the full bird cut up into small bone-in pieces, about 20 to 25. I also prefer skinless chicken and that’s what I have used in my kori gassi.
You may use boneless chicken thighs or breasts, but let me warn you that using boneless chicken will not result into as flavorful chicken curry as you would expect. When the bone-in chicken pieces are seared at medium-high heat with all the spices, it also helps build the flavor of the gravy.
Also, when the gravy simmers at low, chicken releases its juice into the gravy making it immensely flavorful. In case you absolutely want to use boneless chicken, then I would recommend to use at least skin-on chicken pieces.
This Mangalorean kori gassi is a real treat for any chicken lover! In case you are not, this dish will turn you into one! Try making kori gassi at home and you are gonna thank me for this later! I bet!
- Chicken – 1 kg, curry cut, skinless & bone-in pieces
- Ghee/clarified butter – 1 tbsp
- Onion – 1, small, thinly sliced
- Coconut – 1 cup, grated
- Dry red chilies – 10 (more details in notes below)
- Garlic – 6 to 8 cloves
- Cinnamon – 1-inch stick
- Cumin seeds – ½ tsp
- Whole peppercorn – ½ tsp
- Poppy seeds (white) – 1 tsp
- Fenugreek seeds – ¼ tsp
- Coriander powder – 2 tsp
- Tamarind pulp – 2 tsp
- Ghee/clarified butter – 4 to 6 tbsp
- Onion – 1, large, finely chopped
- Tomato – 1, large, finely chopped
- Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
- Coconut milk/cream – 2 cups
- Salt to taste
- Ghee/clarified butter – 2 tbsp
- Onion – 1, small, thinly sliced
- Heat the ghee in a medium skillet and let it melt. Once the ghee is hot and melted, add sliced onion and sauté for a minute.
- Then add grated coconut to the skillet and sauté them on medium-high heat stirring continuously. Let the coconut fry until it turns light golden, it would take about 5 minutes.
- Now add dry red chilies and garlic cloves. Give them a quick stir and sauté for 2 minutes.
- Next add all the spices to the skillet – cinnamon stick, cumin seeds, whole black peppercorn and poppy seeds. Continue sautéing the spices on medium high heat until they become fragrant. It would take about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Now switch off the flame and let the mixture cool down completely. Then transfer all the sautéed coconut mixture to a grinder jar.
- Add fenugreek seeds, coriander powder and tamarind pulp to the grinder. Also add about a cup of water to the grinder jar and grind everything to a smooth paste.
- Take your time to grind this mixture as it may take time to smoothly grind all the spices & coconut. Check in between to ensure blades are not stuck. The smoothness of this mixture will ensure you have a rich & silky smooth gravy at the very end.
- Once you have the thick & smooth coconut-curry paste, set it aside until needed.
- Wash the chicken well and drain out all of the excess water thoroughly. Add ½ teaspoon of turmeric powder and ½ teaspoon of salt to the chicken and mix them well with the chicken pieces. Set them aside.
- Heat a large wok over high heat. Add the ghee and let it heat up and melt. Add the finely chopped onion and sauté them on medium-high for 5 to 10 minutes until golden brown.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and sauté them on medium-high for 5 minutes or until it turns soft & mushy.
- Now add the chicken pieces and stir them well into the onion & tomato mixture. Season the chicken with salt to taste.
- Sauté the chicken on medium-high for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until the pieces are browned nicely on all sides. This step is important to develop the depth of flavor. Hence don’t skip!
- Once the chicken pieces are nicely browned and sautéed, pour in the prepared coconut-curry paste prepared earlier. Ensure to use up till the last bit of spice paste from the grinder jar!
- Add about 1 cup of warm water and stir to mix everything well. Let the gravy come to a boil. Then cover the wok and let the chicken cook on low for 10 to 15 minutes.
- After about 10 minutes, uncover the wok, stir everything up to ensure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Now add the coconut milk and give a good mix. Bring it to boil again and let the gravy simmer uncovered on low for another 15 minutes. This will ensure the gravy thickens and becomes luscious.
- Your Mangalorean kori gassi is ready! Transfer the hot and sizzling chicken kori gassi to a large serving bowl.
- Finally, flash fry the thinly sliced onion in 2 tablespoons of ghee until they are crispy golden brown. Drizzle this crispy onion along with the ghee on top of the chicken kori gassi gravy to impart the ultimate flavor impact!
- Your delicious Mangalorean Kori Gassi is ready to devour! Serve it with plain white rice and enjoy!
Leave a Reply