Creamy Coconut Chicken Stew — Kerala Chicken Mappas
A Kerala Syrian-Christian chicken stew in a thin coconut-milk gravy with curry leaves, fennel, and a fresh coconut paste, finished with fragrant whole spices.
Indian
Categories
Nutrition per Serving
Ingredients
For 2 servings
Instructions
Prep
Pat chicken dry and rub with 0.5 tsp salt, 0.5 tsp turmeric, and 0.5 tsp black pepper; rest 5 minutes. Thinly slice 8 shallots. Slit 4 green chillies lengthways. Finely chop 2 small tomatoes. Toast 1/4 cup desiccated coconut in a dry pan until fragrant, then blend with 1/2 cup water to a coarse paste.
Toast
Heat 3 tbsp coconut oil in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add 1 tsp fennel seeds, 6 cardamom pods, 2 cinnamon sticks, 6 cloves, and 2 bay leaves; sizzle 30 seconds until fragrant. Add 24 curry leaves and let crackle 10 seconds.
Sear
Add chicken pieces skin-side down to the pan and sear 5 minutes undisturbed until skin is deeply golden. Flip and sear 3 minutes on the other side. Remove and set aside.
Build
Add sliced shallots to the same pan and cook 6 minutes over medium, stirring, until edges turn brown. Stir in 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste and slit green chillies; cook 1 minute until raw smell fades. Add chopped tomatoes, 2 tsp kashmiri chilli powder, 2 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp ground fennel, remaining 1 tsp turmeric, and remaining 1.5 tsp salt. Cook 4 minutes on medium-low, mashing tomatoes, until oil beads.
Simmer
Stir in the toasted coconut paste for 60 seconds over medium-low until fragrant and golden. Return chicken with juices and add 400ml hot water. Cover and simmer on low heat 14 minutes until chicken reaches 165°F internal temperature. Pour in 300ml full-fat coconut milk and simmer 2 minutes on low without boiling; the gravy should remain thin and soupy.
Finish
Remove from heat and stir in 0.5 tsp garam masala. Cover and rest 2 minutes to meld flavours.
Plate
Ladle the Kerala chicken mappas into bowls, garnish with 2 tbsp fresh chopped coriander, and serve with appam, idiyappam, or Kerala parotta alongside, with lime pickle and roasted papad on the side.
Recipes use AI and Edamam. Always check for allergens before cooking. Spotted something wrong—email us at hello@grubplanit.com.