Chettinad chicken

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp ghee
• 1 onion, grated
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 cm-piece ginger, grated
• 2 long green chillies, finely chopped
• 1 long dried red chilli, chopped
• 2 tbsp chickpea (besan) flour (see Note)
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 800 g chicken breast fillets, thickly sliced on the diagonal
• 10 curry leaves (see Note)
• paratha (see Note), to serve

Instructions

Melt 1 tbsp ghee in a small pan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, ginger, chillies, besan flour and turmeric, and cook for 3 minutes or until fragrant. Transfer to a bowl and stir in lemon juice. Cool, then coat chicken with mixture. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat remaining 1 tbsp ghee in a large frying pan over low heat. Add curry leaves and stir for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add chicken and brown for 3 minutes each side. Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from heat and stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Serve with paratha.

Note

• Chickpea (besan) flour is available from health food shops and selected supermarkets.

• Curry leaves are available from greengrocers and Asian food shops.

• Paratha is flaky Indian bread made with wholemeal flour that’s cooked on a griddle. It is available from supermarkets in packets or in the frozen section of Asian food shops.

Also written by Kirrily La Rosa and Wendy Quisumbing. Photography by Chris Chen.