Mar 12, 2013

Kerala style spicy Chicken Fry ... and a thank you for 100,000+ hits!


To be honest, I'm seriously getting tired of this winter. When you think it's gonna get over, it snows :-) Having lived all my pre-married life in the Middle East where it's almost always summer, bearing this icy cold winter is like a nightmare for me. But on the bright side, Spring is just a few weeks away and I'm eagerly waiting for it.
I love the way we can see the changes in the 4 seasons here in US. I still remember how my 5th grade teacher used to describe her US vacations with so much pride and I guess we were studying something related to seasons in geography and she used to draw such a beautiful picture in our minds of how Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter looks so picture perfect in this part of the world and for us little kids, it was like dreaming of dreamland :-) And I'm living in it now ...lol!!

Here are a few glimpses of this winter I captured on my Iphone.

On a snowy day, a shot from our patio.

Before heading to office one fine morning, the snow clad trees looked so pretty I couldn't resist taking a snap.

Another quick pic taken before dropping lil'Appu at his daycare...he wasn't very happy with all the cold wind on his face first thing in the morning...but was a darling to pose with Papa :-) This is one of my favorite pics.

The best ways to beat this cold is to actually take part in it. Do winter activities like snow tubing, skiing, ice skating , make a snowman or simply throw snowballs at each other. Though I haven't done any of this b'coz I don’t think I have the courage to stand out in the cold for that long, even with 5 layers of winter cloths on, it definitely sounds like fun and many of my friends are enjoying it with their families. Maybe next year when lil'Appu is a bit bigger and may actually enjoy playing in the snow, I might dare to try making a snowman :-)

Another good way to beat this cold is eat some comforting homemade food. I won't lie to you by saying I only eat homemade food, I do enjoy my share of take-outs and dine-ins at restaurants. But nothing beats homemade stuff, does it?

Chicken fry is a rare treat at our home as I usually never make stuff that includes frying in a lot of oil. Most of the time it'll be grilled or baked chicken or chicken curry. But sometimes frying adds a certain flavor and taste that cannot be obtained by grilling or baking. And how about a typical Keralite version – fried in coconut oil? Delicious!!
My mom never used too much coconut oil in her cooking for as long as I know, so even I got used to the habit of using vegetable oil for my cooking. But the memories of the taste of food that we ate while vacationing in Kerala makes my mouth water and crave for some typical naadan kerala style food cooked in this aromatic and flavorful oil.

And so, when I prepared the Kappa Masala with cilantro-coconut chutney for a weekend lunch , I decided to pair it with some spicy chicken legs fried in coconut oil and garnished with crunchy curry leaves. The taste is beyond explanation and paired extremely well with the Kappa and chammanthi. (I shallow fried the chicken legs, you can deep fry if you want to :-) )

Kerala style Spicy Chicken Fry in Coconut Oil

You’ll need
Chicken legs – 4
Red chilli powder – 1 tblsp
Pepper powder – 1 tblsp
Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
Garam masala powder – 1 tsp
Ginger –Garlic paste –  ½ tblsp
Salt – to taste
Water – enough to make a smooth paste of the spice mix
Coconut oil – ½ cup (for shallow frying – I used Parachute brand)
Curry leaves – 1-2 sprigs (about 8-10 leaves)

Directions:
1. Wash and clean the chicken legs and pat them dry with a paper towel. Make 2-3 slits over the chicken legs with a sharp knife.
2. Make a smooth paste with the spice mix and salt. Do a gentle taste test of the mix to make sure its seasoned well. ( Be careful – its spicy!!)
3. Apply the spice marinade over the chicken legs evenly making sure to get the marination in the slits and all. Refrigerate and marinate for 15-20 minutes.
4. Heat the coconut oil in a frying pan and fry the curry leaves until crunchy and keep it aside.
5. Now fry the chicken legs in the same oil until its well done and browned slightly on both sides.
6. Garnish and serve with the fried curry leaves on top.


Frying the curry leaves first was actually done by mistake, but it added a lovely curry leaf essence to the oil which gets absorbed by the chicken legs while frying , so I modified my original recipe to do that as the first step. Make sure you do not burn the curry leaves :-)

It’s a simple preparation. The same marination can be used while grilling or baking. And the coconut oil imparts so much flavor , if you haven’t tried it yet, then you must!

Oh and before I stop rambling, I wanted to share the joy of my blog hitting 100,000+ pageviews Yaaayyyyy!!! Thank you all for supporting me and my blog and sharing such lovely comments and feedback . I’ll try to do my best to give you quality posts and delicious recipes collected from my family, friends , books and web + some of my own creations ;-)  

I’m currently active on Facebook , PinterestTwitter and Google+ (I'm still trying to learn Instagram, so mayb that too once I'm done figuring it out). Do keep in touch with me by Following me and let’s be friends!!
And you can always contact me via email : manjuseatingdelights@gmail.com or use the 'Contact Me' page. Have a good day everyone.


-Manju


32 comments:

  1. Irresistible Manju...Loved the recipe.Bookmarked.
    Congrats on this milestone..Keep Rocking..!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Congrats Manju. Surely you can't beat the homemade stuff. looks yummy.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Congratulations on your 100000 hits manju. All the pictures looks so beautiful.. thanks for showing it...your lil Appu is soooo cute...
    Chicken looks very tempting.

    ReplyDelete
  4. absolutely yummy... frying in curry leaves and coconut oil has a lovely effect, isn't it!!! :) congrats on the 100K hits, u deserve it, have such a beautiful space... BTW, is it normal to have snow at this time of the year? it is cold in UAE, which is very unusual in March!!! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well last year the winter was too good, it got over by feb itself I guess...but the year before it was snowing even in May, so getting snow in March isn't very unusual this part of the world...

      ya n it being cold in March in UAE is definitely unusual...everywhere the climates are changing now.

      Delete
  5. Super tempting !!
    http://recipe-excavator.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  6. And Manju, the 27coupons giveaway runs till the end of this month. Do join in when u find time
    Win flipkart vouchers from 27coupons.com. Enter now

    ReplyDelete
  7. Ohh these look soo good, am drooling here. I am getting tired of the summer already here, and its not even begun!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Manju I almost went to grab the chicken leg :P its super tempting, my mind is busy thinking about the flavors. What lovely wide and tall pics :) simply enjoyed this post. Cheers to 1 lakh and more ;) hugs

    ReplyDelete
  9. Congrats manju. Chicken fry is perfect for winter.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Good one Manju looks so tasty and yumm... and congrats on your one lakh hits :) Wish u many more achievements and success :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. wow i;m drooling here.congrats and keep going.

    ReplyDelete
  12. congratulations....nd a very delightful..kozhi kaal !!good wishes !

    ReplyDelete
  13. Congrats on reaching the another milestone!!! Spicy chicken fry on Vazhyilla looks so tempting. I also scarcely use coconut oil in dishes.

    ReplyDelete
  14. congrats dear
    http://www.followfoodiee.com/

    ReplyDelete
  15. Congrats....Looks inviting... Delish...

    ReplyDelete
  16. I love fried chicken..and congratulations!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Congratulations on 100K hits. :) Lovely spicy chicken. I totally agree with you about winter... I'm tired of it too... looking forward to warm weather soon. :)

    ReplyDelete
  18. Congrats on the 100'000 hits! This dish looks really scrumptious and flavorful.

    Of course, you can use that poem! It isn't mine... ;-)

    Cheers,

    Rosa

    ReplyDelete
  19. Your recipe looks wonderful! fried chicken is one of my favorite dishes. Today Our lunch was a delicious homemade fried chicken, we enjoyed it.

    ReplyDelete
  20. I can literally smell the aroma of coconut oil,yummy n very authentic presentation..noyambu kalathu enne kothupichuu,craving for some now :)
    Congrats on your hits,wishing many more hits!!
    Participate & win e gift vouchers (worth Rs 1000& Rs 500)in Flavors Of Cuisines-"Chinese"

    ReplyDelete
  21. Congrats on crossing over 1 lakh views.. Chicken fry looks so tempting.. Beautiful clicks!

    ReplyDelete
  22. I too am tired of winter -- but is looks so pretty in your photos. Congratulations on the 100,000 hits!! The chicken looks so good, thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  23. save one piece for me :) very beautiful preparation..

    ReplyDelete
  24. this looks amazing. DO visit my blog
    www.merrytummy.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  25. Hello,
    That is beautiful view you have captured and chicken is too yummy.
    Have a great week ahead!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Wow Manju, I want one ..vazhayila il oke vachu kothipichallo..Pine congrats on 1 lakg hits ! Way to go gal...
    I m slso fed up of winter..hardly any spring here, but looks like ur place is much much colder..brr....I m freezing seeing the pictures..

    ReplyDelete
  27. Hi Manju ...!

    Thnx for the Wonderful chicken recipes it looks so Yummy & Tempting ,........ But am Looking for Kabab Recipe of Chicken if possible Deep fried Chicken in Kerla Style So pls suggest me some good one so that i can add in my Restro Menu......Tnx in Advance :)

    ReplyDelete
  28. Hello Manju, this recipe looks really so mouthwatering. this made me crave for some spicy chicken! It's your recipe's fault!~ LOL. Love the photo.

    thanks
    Prasad
    Indian Recipes

    ReplyDelete

Thank You so much for visiting here. I would love to hear from you , please leave a comment or suggestion and Hope to see you again !