Manchattiyil Varattiya Kozhi / Chicken Roast in Mud Pot

Whenever your loved ones give you something, it will be really special to you and you will just love it. I got this special recipe that way and I just love it. Its an easy preparation. But when it comes to taste, it is the best.

I would suggest you people to make this dish in a mud pot, in malayalam "manchatti", which somehow brings an extra flavor to the curry. Also, use coconut oil for cooking as it is an authentic kerala dish.

Manchattiyil Varattiya Kozhi 

Ingredients (To serve 2 or 3 people)

To marinate the chicken

500 gms chicken with bone

20 pearl onions minced

1 tbsp chicken masala

1 tsp coconut oil

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

Salt enough to taste

To make the chicken roast

1 tsp fenugreek seeds

1 tsp fennel seeds

10 cloves

3 sticks of cinnamon

6 cardamom

2 or 3 bay leaves

1 tbsp garllic paste

1 tbsp ginger paste

5 or 6 green chillies minced (I used really hot chillies)

2 medium tomatoes sliced

2 tbsp coconut oil

Salt enough to taste

Preparation

1. Wash the chicken and place it in a colander to drain of all the excess water.

2. Marinate the chicken with minced onion, chicken masala, turmeric powder, coconut oil and sail. Keep it aside for 10 to 15 minutes.

3. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a manchatti (earthen pot). Add fenugreek seeds . Once its light brown in color, add fennel seeds, cloves, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves and saute for a few seconds until it leaves an aroma. 

(Heat is to medium as high heat can burn the spices)

4. Add ginger paste, garllic paste and minced green chillies to it and saute for a few seconds till the raw smell fades.

5. Add sliced tomatoes and cook it till it is softened.

6. To that add the marinated chicken , mix well and cook it in low heat for 5 minutes covering the manchatti .

After that,open the lid and mix again to prevent it from getting burnt.

(Chicken will normally release enough water to keep the curry moist. If you feel the curry is getting too dry, you can add 4 to 5 table spoon of water)

7.  Again cover the manachatti with lid and cook for another 15 to 20 minutes in medium heat.  Stir occasionally  When the chicken is completely cooked, you can turn off the stove and remove the manchatti from stove top. 

Enjoy the  nadan and simple chicken roast!!

* This chicken roast goes well with chappathi, naan, pathiri etc

* I would suggest to paint the inside of  manchatti with coconut oil before you start cooking to prevent food  from sticking.

* If you are cooking it in manchatti, you should be really careful as the curry can get burnt easily.