Kumbakonam Race Masala chicken Ampti

     This Ampti is one of its kind and totally different from the curries that I have made so far.  

      Special thanks to My dear friend KrishnaPriya for this masala powder recipe. Do visit and like her page http://myramblings.in 

     This recipe is passed on to her through generations. The aroma speaks for its authenticity. Here is the link for the original recipe for the race masala. 

I am re-posting the same for quick reference. 

Recipe for the race masala powder:

1/2 cup coriander seeds

1/2 cup red chilli

1 tbsp of poppyseed

1/2 an handful of channa dal

1-2 cardamom

Tiny bit of nutmeg and mace

1 star anise

                                

Dry roast all of the above and powder it coarse.

Chicken Ampti:

Onion - 1
Two ripe tomatoes
1/2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
Oil- 1 tbsp
Chicken 1 lb
Coconut 3 tbsp
Shallot 1
Cashews 2-3
salt to taste

Sauté onions, ginger garlic, tomatoes and salt adding one after the other in the same sequence till oil seperates. Add 2 1/2 tbsp of race masala powder and give it a quick stir. Now add cut chicken and coat chicken with the masala and continue to cook for 5 mts. Add 1/2 cup of water and cook covered reducing the heat for 15 mts or until the chicken is completely cooked. Grind coconut, shallot and cashews to a fine paste and add it to the chicken and let it simmer. By now the whole house would be filled with the sweet aroma of this masala. Remove from heat and serve it with roti/naan or rice. This is the best side dish for parotta. All you have to do is tear the parotta into pieces, pour this Ampti on it, let soak for a minute so that it is dunked but not fully dunked.