Kothimeera Kodi Vepudu (Andhra Chicken Roast)
Kothimeera Kodi Vepudu is an Andhra style coriander chicken roast preparation, and has ingredients such as poppy seeds, big cardamom, fennel seeds, cloves and dry coconut in its base sauce preparation.I discovered Kothimeera Kodi Vepudu, also known as Andhra Kodi Kura, accidentally, many years ago when I was browsing through a magazine. What fascinated me was that one of the main ingredients of this recipe is the coriander leaves (kothimeera) which is cooked along with the chicken at the initial stages of the cooking.Normally, coriander leaves are used mostly for garnishing or for chutneys but this chicken recipe uses a bunch of coriander leaves. Well, loads of it, actually! It is chopped well and simmered along with the chicken and the ground spices on low to medium flame. So, the coriander leaf is the star ingredient. Besides the coriander leaves, the ground spices lend a magical taste to the chicken roast.(Note that it is different from the Andhra Green Chicken that uses both mint and coriander as its base sauce.)So, I tried out Kothimeera Kodi Vepudu recipe in my kitchen. I discovered that it not only turned out to be delicious and flavourful, but was also subtle in taste. I prepared it several times and got good feedback from my family. I went on to add a few more spices like nutmeg and fennel seeds and prepared my version of the chicken roast. I found that nutmeg and fennel seeds further enhanced the taste of the chicken roast.There are many versions of this recipe depending on the region. In coastal areas of Andhra Pradesh, it is cooked with coconut milk or ground fresh coconut. I have use dried, desiccated coconut (kopra) for this recipe. I discovered that it lends a very nutty taste to the chicken gravy. The use of coconut makes this recipe incredibly juicy and succulent.Andhra cuisine is generally known for its spicy and flavourful recipes. In this recipe, the spices can be adjusted as per one's requirements. The poppy seeds neutralise the spiciness of the curry. The spice quotient can be increased by adding more red chilli powder and green chillies. This specialty from Andhra is an easy-to-cook recipe and can be prepared within 1 hour. Just clean the chicken, blend and marinate well with spices and curd, and then simmer and cook on low flame! This yummy and healthy chicken roast is ready to be served. Can I convert this recipe into a starter?Yes, you can. After cooking the chicken in its sauces, keep aside for sometime. Let the chicken pieces absorb the sauces. Take a smaller pan, pour some oil, add a few chicken pieces along with its sauces.(Just the amount you need for the starters.) Cook on medium flame till the gravy is almost dry. Sprinkle some fried curry leaves and fried green chillies on the top. The dry chicken roast starter is ready to be served with cocktails or drinks!
Equipment
- 1 large deep pan
- 1 Grinder
Ingredients
- 1 kg Chicken with bones
- 1 no. Red onion (large) chopped or minced
- 1 tbsp Ginger-Garlic paste
- 2 nos. Tomatoes (chopped thinly or minced)
- 1 bunch Coriander leaves (a big bunch, chopped)
- ¾ tsp Turmeric powder
- 2 tsps Red chilli powder
- 2 tbsps Chicken masala (store bought or homemade)
- 2 tbsps Sour curd
- 5 nos. Green chillies (coarsely pounded)
- 2 tsps Shah jeera
- 2 tbsps Sundrop oil
- 1 tsp Salt or as per taste
Dry roast the following masalas:
- 6 nos. Cloves
- 2 tsps Poppy seeds
- 2 nos. Black cardamom
- 4 tsps Dry coconut (copra)
- 3 tsps Coriander seeds (whole)
- 1 tbsps Fennel seeds
- ½ no. Nutmeg
In a pan, dry roast these masalas on low flame for 2 minutes. Cool and grind in a grinder. Keep aside.
Instructions
Wash and marinate the chicken
- Wash the chicken well and chop into medium or small pieces.Marinate with turmeric powder, chilli powder, salt and chicken masala powder.Keep aside.
Cooking the chicken
- Heat oil in a pan and add shah jeera. Once it crackles, add ginger garlic paste and stir for a minute.Grind an onion into a coarse paste. Add the coarsely ground onion paste and fry until it turns translucent and oil separates. (You can even add thinly minced onions if you don't want to use the grinder).Next, add crushed ginger-garlic paste into the pan and blend well. Cook till the raw smell disappears.Add the curd and chopped tomatoes and sauté on medium flame till the tomatoes turn mushy while crushing it lightly using a ladle.Now, add the marinated chicken along with the green chillies and chopped coriander leaves and blend well so that the chicken is well coated.Sauté on high flame for two minutes so that the chicken leaves water.
- Pour in the ground masalas from the grinder into the pan and mix well with the chicken.Now add 2 cups of hot water and mix well with the chicken. Cover the pan and slow cook the chicken on low flame for 15 to 20 minutes or till the chicken is well cooked.Once the chicken is cooked, reduce the gravy by cooking on high or medium flame for 3 to 5 minutes.The gravy can be made semi-dry or dry as per your requirement.Serve hot with rice, tomato rasam and papad or chapati. This chicken is best paired with piping hot tomato rasam and rice.
Notes
There are many versions of Kothimeera Kodi Vepudu. You can add ingredients as per your taste. For a thicker and richer gravy you can add cashew nuts instead of poppy seeds.
Poppy seeds lend a unique and distinct flavour to the Andhra chicken roast.
The recipe tastes different when cashew nuts are added. Cashew nuts help in reducing the spiciness of the recipe. If you are adding cashews, don't use poppy seeds.