Kerala chicken stew with appam
This is a mild, creamy stew made with coconut milk, spices, and tender chicken, typically served with appam (a lacy rice pancake). It's a popular dinner dish in Kerala, South India, known for its comforting flavors.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cinnamon stick
- 4 cloves
- 3 green cardamom pods
- 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 150 grams chicken pieces (bone-in or boneless, as preferred)
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 1 potato, diced
- 1/2 cup thick coconut milk
- 1 cup thin coconut milk
- 2 green chilies, slit lengthwise
- 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
- A few curry leaves
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- Salt to taste
- 1 cup raw rice (preferably parboiled or idli rice)
- 1/4 cup cooked rice
- 1/4 cup grated coconut (fresh or frozen, thawed)
- 1/2 teaspoon dry active yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- Salt to taste
- Water, as needed
For the Masala Paste
For the Chicken Stew
For the Appam
Instructions
- Toast the cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and fennel seeds in a dry pan until fragrant. Let them cool, then grind into a fine powder.
- Heat coconut oil in a pot, add curry leaves and sliced onions. Sauté until onions are soft.
- Add ginger-garlic paste and green chilies. Sauté for a minute.
- Add chicken pieces and cook until lightly browned.
- Mix in the ground masala powder, potato, and carrot.
- Pour in the thin coconut milk, bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes, until the chicken and veggies are tender.
- Add thick coconut milk and simmer for 5 more minutes. Season with salt.
- Blend the soaked raw rice, cooked rice, and grated coconut with a little water until smooth.
- Dissolve sugar in warm water, sprinkle in yeast, and let it froth (5-10 mins).
- Add the yeast mixture to the batter with salt, mix, and ferment for 6-8 hours or overnight.
- Heat a non-stick or cast iron appam pan on medium. Lightly grease it if needed.
- Pour a ladle of batter in the center, then swirl the pan to spread it thin around the edges, leaving the center thicker.
- Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes until the edges are crispy and the center is soft. No need to flip.
- Remove and repeat.
For chicken Prepare the Masala Powder
For appam Prepare the Batter:
Cook the Appam
Note
- Adjust coconut milk consistency by adding more or less based on your preference. Thin coconut milk is best for cooking, while thick coconut milk adds final richness.
- Use warm water for fermentation for appam, especially in cooler temperatures, and try adding a small amount of sugar if you prefer a slightly sweeter appam.
- Serve the hot stew with appam to soak up all the flavors.