Sometimes just that one ingredient or cooking technique is enough to whip up an old-time dish into some dish totally snazzy in taste! That is exactly what the aromatic flavours of lemongrass did for a popular South-Indian dish called Chicken Stew. Coconut milk and spices make chicken stew a household dish in many South-Indian families. It is served with steamed basmati rice, porotta (famous layered flat bread of Kerala) or the classic appams (fermented rice bread made with rice batter and coconut milk). Adding in the lemongrass definitely brought in a new zest to the taste!
Ingredients:
Chicken thigh - 500 gms, boneless & skinless
Green cardamom - 4 pods
Cinnamon sticks - 2 nos. (1 1/2 inch size)
Bay leaf - 1 leaf
Onion sliced - 150 gms, sliced
Green chilies - 4, slit
Ginger - 30 gms, julienne (finely sliced)
Lemon grass - 2 stems
Coriander roots - 1 cup
Coconut milk - 700 ml
Vegetable Oil - 30 ml
Chicken stock - 1 cup
Salt - to taste
Sugar - 10 gms
Lemon juice - 20 ml
Chilli oil - 5 ml
Instructions:
Heat oil in a pan, add the whole spices and fry till you can get a sweet aroma. Then add the sliced onions, green chilies and ginger julienne and saute till translucent.
Next, add in chicken and saute for 2 minutes or till the colour of the chicken changes. Then add in the chicken stock. Let it simmer and next add in the lemon grass and coriander roots.
Once the chicken is cooked add in the coconut milk. Season with salt and sugar. Simmer for 5 minutes. You can remove the lemon grass just before serving. Finish with lemon juice and a drizzle of the chilli oil. Serve the stew with steamed rice.
Servings : 2
