Chicken/Mutton Thoran

Yeah, the combo of 'Chicken' and 'Thoran' sounds a bit strange because in traditional kerala cuisine, a 'Thoran' means stir fried vegetables with coconut. And It is a compulsory accompaniment with any typical Kerala meals. This recipe is dedicated to my wonderful mom who is no more with me. I learned most of the cooking from my mom who was an excellent cook. She used to make each and every dish very special in her own creative way. This is her very special dish which she used to make with Chicken/Mutton meat served with Rice and Chicken/Mutton bone curry. When I was a kid, I used to literally bury those 'juicy, rich with bone marrow' bones inside the rice served because both my naughty brothers had this habit of finishing off my portion first and then indulge in their portion of curry served with a "Sis, I really don't know how your curry vanished, and now you dare not touch mine" expression, which they still continue to practice whenever we get together... ;-) This weekend, I prepared this Chicken Thoran for my dad and my li'l girl. I felt really nice when they certified that it tasted exactly like my mom's Chicken Thoran... So here is the recipe of my mom's very special Chicken/Mutton Thoran. All non-veg coconut-lovers out here, I am sure you all will love it. So it's worth a try. All non-veg coconut-haters, you can still give it a try because coconut taste is not felt much in this dish... ;-)

Ingredients

Chicken (preferably flesh) - 1/2 Kg, cut into small cubes
Coconut - 1.5 cup, grated
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Small onion - 1 cup, cut into two
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chilly powder - 2 tbsp
Ginger-garlic paste - 1.5 tbsp
Curry leaves - as required

For seasoning

Small onion - 6, sliced
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - as required (I use about a tbsp of it)
Red chillies - 4, cut into two
Cooking oil (my mom uses coconut oil for that flavor) - as required (use a bit more)
Curry leaves - as required

Method

1. Wash chicken thoroughly with 1 tsp turmeric powder (apart from the qty mentioned in the ingredients list). My mom uses turmeric powder to wash chicken to remove that raw flesh smell.
2. Cook chicken with adequate amount of water, onions, chilly pdr, turmeric pdr, ginger-garlic paste in low flame in an open vessel until the chicken is properly cooked. Add curry leaves at the end and let it cook for sometime until the flavor mixes well with the chicken. (we don't use pressure cooker for this dish).
3. In the meantime, while the chicken is getting cooked, prepare the coconut masala by coarsely grinding coconut and cumin seeds in a mixer.
4. Add the coconut mix into the chicken and cook it for about 10 minutes until the water content is completely absorbed and the raw smell of coconut is gone. Keep this aside.
5. Heat oil in a deep frying pan and add the mustard seeds. When they pop, add urad dal and leave it until it turns light brown (do not let it burn, so simmer the stove).
6. Next add the sliced onions, red chillies, and curry leaves. Fry lightly until the onions turn soft and translucent.
7. Finally add the cooked chicken into the pan. Stir around to combine and saute it for about 10-15 minutes until you get a fried coconut smell.
8. Remove from the fire and garnish it with a few fresh curry leaves. Serve warm as a side dish with rice or rotis/chappathis.

As I have mentioned earlier, this is an accompaniment with my mom's special chicken/mutton bone curry. I am yet to try that one. So my dear foodie buddies, you don't have to wait for long. Will be trying out during one of these weekends. So keep watching this space for the bone curry recipe as well...;-)