Festive delight of India

Chicken Mappas (stew)

Chicken Mappas is a typical dish from Kerala, prepared usually during festive seasons. At Christmas it is standard fare at every table. The cuisine of Kerala is known for its subtle use of spices, coconuts and seasonal vegetables grown in the region.

No dish made in a Keralite home is complete without a hint of coconut. Kerala derives its name from the word, Kera (Coconut) and Alam (Land), and is known as the land of coconuts. This ingredient gives this cuisine a distinct flavour.

Chicken stew, or Mappas, is chicken simmered in spiced creamy coconut milk. It is usually eaten with very traditional rice pancakes.

 

Whole skinless, bone-in Chicken (cut into medium sized pieces) – 1 kg or Chicken breast cut into medium bite sized pieces.

Marinate the chicken with the juice of 1 lemon and 1 tsp of turmeric powder, salt to taste and 1 tsp pepper powder. Overnight is best, an hour is good.

Initial spice mix

Three 1inch sticks cinnamon

5 or 6 green cardamom

3-4 cloves

2tsp whole black peppercorns

1tsp fennel seeds

1 star anise

1 large bay leaf

3-4 tbsp butter /oil

1 medium potato (cubed)

2 large onions, chopped

2 green chilies (split lengthwise)

1 inch ginger (thinly sliced)

4 cloves garlic (thinly sliced)

8-10 curry leaves

1 heaped tsp coriander powder

1.5tsp garam masala

0.5 tsp turmeric powder

0.5 tsp chili powder

1 can of coconut milk

Salt

10 cashew nuts ground + 10 whole

Coriander leaves

 

If using canned coconut milk, do not shake it, instead open it and scoop out the thick coconut cream from the top. Use more if you need to temper or even out the taste of the curry.

In a large cooking pan, heat the butter/ oil and add the potato cubes and fry till slightly brown on the edges. Remove from the oil and drain.

In to the same oil add the onion, & the slit chilies and cook the onion till translucent.

Add the ginger, garlic, curry leaves, coriander powder, garam masala, turmeric, chilli powder to the onions. Leave this to simmer till the raw taste of the masala goes and the all the aromas have blended into one.

Blend (make sure mixture is cool) till semi smooth.

Add a little bit of oil or butter to the pan, and roast all the initial spice mix and allow it to flavour the oil on a very low fire. Add the blended masala back to the pan and let it simmer for a minute. You can cover the pan as its cooking down.

Add the water from the blender to increase the gravy quantity

Add the marinated chicken pieces one at a time to this mixture. Cover and cook the chicken for about 15 to 20 minutes on medium fire.

Add the diluted coconut milk slowly to the chicken and stir in. Add the fried potatoes as well and close the pan and cook till chicken is fully cooked.

Add the ground cashew nuts with the thick coconut milk. Simmer only for a minute, stir in the coriander leaves and close the pan for 15 minutes.

While chicken is resting, add a tsp of butter to a small pan and toast the cashew nuts. Once toasted you may add a tsp of desiccated coconut and allow it to go lightly brown.

Garnish with the toasted cashews and coriander

 

Serene runs amateur cooking club The Best Exotic Kerala Kitchen, where cooking lessons are held for friends and family. Tel: 99 222462