Name: Chicken Ghee Roast
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 170 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 250 g Chicken, bone-in pieces, cut small; ¼ cup Indian-Style Yogurt, thick, for marination; ¼ tsp Ground Turmeric, divided; 4 Dried Byadagi Chilies, mild, gives vivid red color; 2 Dried Red Chili Peppers, for heat (like Guntur or Teja); ¾ tbsp Coriander Seeds; ¼ tsp Fennel Seeds, saunf; ½ tsp Cumin Seeds; ½ tsp Black Peppercorns; ⅛ tsp Fenugreek Seeds, methi dana; 4 clove Garlic; ½ inch Ginger; ½ tbsp Tamarind Paste, thick pulp; ½ tsp Jaggery, balances the heat; 2 tbsp Ghee, clarified butter, non-negotiable; 8 Curry Leaves; ¾ tsp Salt, to taste

2 hr 50 mintotal

50 min hands-on2 hr hands-off

Prep 20 min · Cook 30 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Hard
Spice: High

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Method

Marinate first: coat the bone-in chicken pieces well with the thick curd, some of the turmeric and a little salt. Refrigerate for 2 hours to tenderise.
2 hr
Make the masala: in a completely dry pan over low heat, toast both kinds of dried chilli along with the coriander seeds, fennel, cumin, peppercorns and fenugreek. Roast just until they smell fragrant, and take care not to let them burn.
Let the roasted spices cool to room temperature. Put them into a powerful blender with the fresh garlic, ginger and thick tamarind paste. Grind with as little water as possible to a very fine, deep red paste.
Put some of the ghee into a heavy pan. Lift the chicken out of its marinade, discarding any liquid that has separated out, and sear it over high heat for 8-10 minutes until it is opaque and starting to brown.
8–10 min
Evacuate the seared chicken from the pan and hold it in reserve.
Add the rest of the ghee to the hot pan. Fry the fresh curry leaves briefly, until they crackle and their aroma passes into the fat.
Add the ground red masala paste straight into the fragrant ghee. Stir-fry it over medium-low heat for 10-12 minutes without stopping. The paste should darken to a deep red, lose its raw smell, and split, with ghee seeping out around the edges.
10–12 min
Reintroduce the seared chicken chunks to the blistering pan, alongside the jaggery and remaining salt. Toss obsessively to bind the thick, reduced masala to every surface of the meat.
Reduce heat to a bare whisper and cook uncovered for a final 5-7 minutes. The residual moisture must evaporate completely, forcing the masala to cling to the chicken like a seasoned crust.
5–7 min
Turn off the heat and serve.

How to tell it's done

A dry dish: tender, succulent chicken buried in a deep red, grainy, heavily spiced crust rich with ghee.

Getting it right

Tip

Chef's Tip: Byadgi chillies give the dish its deep red colour without making it too hot. Cook the masala down until the ghee separates out and you can see it: that is the mark of a real ghee roast.

What to serve it with

A towering achievement in Mangalorean gastronomy. Present unapologetically as a dominant starter, or act as an intense foil to delicate Neer Dosa or fermented Appam.

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Ingredients