Chicken Xacuti Dish Goa

Today chicken features in almost every cuisine. Its universal popularity is due to the fact that the flesh combines with an array of different ingredients. It is used in soups, salads, stir-fries, curries, roasts and braised dishes. Most parts of the bird is utilised.

Cafrial is a method of preparation, usually used with chicken, in which the meat is marinated in a sauce of chillies, garlic and ginger and then dry-fried. This results in a light elegant spicy dish where there is a ray of sunshine in every mouthful. 

 There are various ways of Preparing Chicken. In Goa "chicken xacuti" which is prepared of coconut. It consists of Chicken, grated coconut, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, poppy seeds, turmeric powder, red dried chilies, grated nutmeg, aniseed, fennel seeds, oil, onion, green chilies, tamarind pulp.

Ingredients:

1 large chicken (1 ¼ kg)
salt to taste
one cup grated coconut and 1 tbsp fresh, diced coconut
1 ½ tbsp coriander seeds
1 dessertspoon cumin seeds
1 tbsp poppy seeds
1 tsp turmeric seeds
8 red dried chillies
1 tsp grated nutmeg
6 star aniseed
2 tsps fennel seeds
1/3 cup oil
2 large onions, chopped fine
6 green chillies, chopped fine
2 tbsp tamarind pulp
3 cups water

Preparation:

Wash, clean and joined the chicken, and then each piece into two. Apply salt and keep aside. In a flat/ griddle, on medium heat brown the grated coconut, and all the spices except the nutmeg, green chillies and diced coconut. You will get a strong fragrance when the spices are done (approx. 3 -5 mins.). Remove from heat and grind this mixture of roasted spices to a paste in the blender/grinder. Heat oil in a pan on medium heat and saute all the ground spices along with the green chillies, and 1 large onion chopped fine. Add the chicken pieces, diced coconut, nutmeg and salt to taste along with the tamarind pulp. Lower the flame and add the water gradually, stir cooking, as you do so in an open pan. After 15 minutes, raise the flame and shake the pan gently. The oil will rise to the top. Remove from fire.