Malvani Chicken Curry with step by step photos and a video recipe. Malvani chicken curry (Malvani Kombdi Rassa) is a spicy chicken curry from Malvani cuisine. This cuisine is the cuisine of the South Konkan region of Maharashtra & Goa.
Malvan is a town in the Sindhudurgh district (west coast of Maharashtra, India). Malvani cuisine is famous for its spicy non-vegetarian dishes. Malvani dishes are spicy, aromatic, and flavorful.
So, if you are a spice lover like me then this spicy Malvani chicken curry is just for you. More spicy chicken dishes you may like are our Maharashtrian Chicken Sukka, Chicken Ghee roast, and Kolhapuri Chicken Curry.
About this recipe
In this recipe post, I am sharing how to make Malvani chicken curry with homemade Malvani masala. This chicken curry is also known as Malvani Kombdi Rassa in Marathi (the language of Maharashtra State of India).
‘Kombdi‘ means “Chicken” and ‘Rassa‘ means “Curry”. This spicy Maharashtrian chicken curry has all the delectable flavors of coastal cuisine.
It is made with chicken, freshly ground Malvani masala, and coconut. You can serve it with steamed rice, chapati (Indian flatbread), or Bhakri (rice flour chapati).
Though preparing this spicy dish is a time-consuming task, the spices are roasted on low heat until aromatic and then grind to a fine powder.
But all the hard work is paid off when your dish receives appreciation from family and friends.
You may also like these other popular chicken recipes from this website:
- Maharashtrian Chicken Sukka
- Kolhapuri Chicken Sukka
- Chilli chicken
- Dhaba-style chicken curry
- Hyderabadi chicken masala
Why You Need This Recipe
- Easy step-by-step instructions with a recipe video.
- This recipe is easy to customize. Check out the ingredient list below for alternative ingredients. You can add or skip the ingredients as per your taste.
- Make ahead recipe – You can cook it in advance. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Stays good for 2 days.
- Homemade Malvani masala powder – Every family has its own recipe to make Malvani masala. It is so aromatic, flavorful, and easy to prepare at home. I have shared the recipe in the post. This Malvani masala powder recipe is surely a keeper. You can add it to any other non-vegetarian recipes like egg curry or mutton curry.
- Balanced flavor – This recipe is not too spicy. You can adjust the spices as per your taste by increasing or decreasing the Malvani masala powder.
- Gluten-free
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Chicken – I have used chicken with bones as they make the curry flavorful. To substitute, you can also use boneless chicken thighs or chicken breasts.
- Onion – I used red onions for this recipe. You can substitute it with yellow onions.
- Ginger-garlic – Basics of Indian cuisine. I have used fresh ginger and garlic for making this spicy chicken curry. You can substitute it with store-bought ginger-garlic paste.
- Green Chilies – Fresh green chilies are used to make this curry. You can skip it if you do not have it or if you prefer less spicy dishes.
- Coriander leaves (Cilantro) – Fresh coriander leaves with stems are used to marinate the chicken. It gives a beautiful flavor to the curry. Do not substitute it with parsley or any other herb.
- Spice Powders – Salt, turmeric powder, and coriander powder. You can skip coriander powder if not available.
- Bay leaf – Skip if you do not have it.
- Coconut – Coconut balances the spiciness of the dish. You can use either freshly grated coconut or dry coconut for this recipe. Both work fine for making this curry.
- Lemon juice – You can substitute it with vinegar.
- Byadagi red chilies – These chilies give bright red color to the dish and are mildly spicy. You can substitute it with Kashmiri red chilies. Or substitute it with any dry red chilies. But then adjust the quantity as per the spiciness of the chilies you are using.
- Malvani Masala – It is a blend of 16-18 spices that you can easily find in the Indian kitchen pantry. However, you can skip making the masala and use store-bought Malvani masala too. You can find this masala in grocery stores in Maharashtra or purchase it online. This masala is not easily available so I have shared the recipe to make Malvani masala at home.
For the detailed list of ingredients & their measurements, please check out the recipe card below.
Expert Tips
- Dry roast all the whole spices on low-medium heat. Make sure to stir them often so that they get roasted evenly and to avoid the burning of spices.
- Deseed the dried red chilies to reduce the spiciness.
- Marinating the chicken makes it tender and juicy. Do not skip this step.
- While grinding the Malvani masala, make sure to grind it to a fine powder. Do not grind to a coarse powder. It will taste bitter if the spices come to your mouth.
- While making onion-coconut masala, add less water to grind it. If the ground coconut paste is too thin it will take longer to cook.
- The Malvani masala powder is going to spice up this dish. Add as per your taste. If you prefer spicy, add more. Similarly, if you prefer less spicy, add less.
- It is important to add hot water while making this chicken curry. It makes the chicken tender and juicy. Also, reduces the cooking time.
- You can store the homemade Malvani masala powder in an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator. It stays good for 6 months. You can use it to make any non-vegetarian curries like egg curry or mutton curry.
What is so special about Malvani cuisine?
The beautiful aroma coming from the freshly ground spices (Malvani Garam Masala) & the bright color of the dish is the specialty of this Malvani cuisine.
Malvani dishes are incomplete without Malvani masala. The heavenly aroma coming from the freshly ground spices is irresistible. It will make you hungry instantly.
Traditionally, Malvani masala is a blend of 16 spices that are ground coarsely, in powdered form & stored in airtight containers. They are used as required for making the recipe.
You can purchase Malvani masala powder from the stores in Maharashtra or online. But it is not easily available at all places.
In this post, I have shared the recipe to make Malvani masala powder at home. Better to make it in small quantities, store it and use it.
Step by step instructions with photos
Preparations
Making Malvani Masala
- Heat a heavy bottom pan over medium-low heat.
- Add the whole spices listed under Malvani masala. Dry roast on low heat, stirring continuously, until aromatic. Remove it to a plate. Let it cool down completely.
- Transfer to a mixer/grinder jar. Grind to a fine powder. Keep it aside. Homemade Malvani masala is ready. Skip this step if using store-bought masala.
Making Green Masala
- Add all the ingredients mentioned under green masala. Add little water and grind to a fine paste. Green Masala is ready. Keep it aside.
Marinate the chicken
- In a mixing bowl, combine chicken with salt, turmeric powder, coriander powder, lemon juice, prepared green masala, and 2 tsp of Malvani masala. Marinate for an hour. Cover and keep it in the refrigerator.
Make the onion-coconut paste
- Heat 2 tsp of oil in a deep bottom pan over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until lightly golden.
- Add grated coconut and sauté until golden. Remove and keep it aside to cool down.
- Transfer the roasted ingredients to a mixer/grinder jar.
- Add little water and grind to a fine paste. Do not add more water, the paste should be thick.
Making the Malvani chicken curry
- Heat 3 tbsp of oil in a deep bottom pan/Kadai over medium heat.
- Add bay leaf and sauté for 30 seconds.
- Next, add onions and sauté until golden.
- Add ginger-garlic paste and sauté it for a minute.
- Add 2 tsp of Malvani masala (add as per spice preference). Cook it for a minute.
- Add the prepared onion-coconut paste. Cook until the coconut masala starts to leave oil from the sides.
- Add the marinated chicken.
- Cook until oil starts to separate from the sides.
- Add 3 cups of hot water and combine. (adjust the consistency of the curry as per your liking)
- Taste and add salt.
- Cover partially and cook until the chicken is cooked. It will take almost 15-20 minutes.
- Malvani Chicken Curry is ready to serve.
Storage Suggestions
- To store Malvani Masala – Transfer the Malvani masala powder to an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator. It stays good for 6 months.
- If you are storing the leftovers, make sure to store them within 2 hours of cooking.
- To store the leftovers – Let the curry come to room temperature. Transfer the chicken curry to an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator. It stays good for 2 days. Reheat and serve.
- To freeze the curry – Transfer it to an airtight container and freeze. Stays good for a month. Thaw, reheat, and serve.
Variations that you can try
- You can substitute chicken with eggs or Mutton to make Malvani egg curry or Malvani mutton curry.
If you make this recipe, please leave a comment and a starred review below.
And, consider following me on social media so we can stay connected. I’m on Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube!
Malvani Chicken Curry Recipe
Malvani chicken curry is a spicy chicken curry from Malvani cuisine. Also known as Malvani Kombdi Rassa, it is made with chicken, freshly ground Malvani masala, and coconut. Serve this Maharashtrian chicken curry with steamed rice, chapati (Indian flatbread) or Bhakri (rice flour chapati).
Servings 8 people
Calories 430kcal
Equipment
- 1 Mixing bowl
- 1 Deep bottom pan/Kadhai
Ingredients
To make Malvani Masala
- 4-5 dried red chilies
- ¼ tsp cumin (Jeera)
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds (Dhaniya)
- ¼ tsp caraway seeds (Shahi Jeera)
- 1/8 tsp mustard (Rai/Sasam)
- ¼ tsp fennel (Saunf)
- 1- inch cinnamon (Dalchini)
- ½ star anise (Chakra phool)
- 4 cloves (Laung)
- 10 peppercorns (Kali mirch)
- 1 black cardamom (Badi Elaichi)
- 2 green cardamoms (choti elaichi)
- 1 black stone flower (optional) (Biryani phool/dagad phool)
- A small piece nutmeg (Jaiphal)
- 1 tsp sesame seeds (Safed Til)
- 1 tsp poppy seeds (Khus-khus)
- 1 blade mace (Javitri)
- 1/8 tsp fenugreek seeds (Methi dana)
To make Green Masala
- 2- inch ginger
- 20-25 garlic cloves
- 2-3 green chilies add as per your spice preference
- 1/2 cup coriander leaves with stems
To marinate the chicken
- 700 grams chicken curry cut
- salt to taste
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 2 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- Green masala
- 2 tsp of the prepared Malvani masala
For onion-coconut paste
- 2 tsp oil
- 1 onion sliced
- 1 cup of grated coconut
To make the Malvani chicken curry
- 2 tsp of oil
- Bay leaves
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
- 2 tsp Malvani masala
Instructions
Making Malvani Masala
- Heat a heavy bottom pan over medium-low heat.
- Add the whole spices listed under Malvani masala. Dry roast on low heat, stirring continuously, until aromatic. Remove it on a plate. Let it cool down completely.
- Transfer to a mixer/grinder jar. Grind to a fine powder. Keep it aside. Homemade Malvani masala is ready. Skip this step if using store-bought masala.
Making Green Masala
- Add all the ingredients mentioned under green masala. Add little water and grind to a fine paste. Green Masala is ready. Keep it aside.
Marinate the chicken
- In a mixing bowl, combine chicken with salt, turmeric powder, coriander powder, lemon juice, prepared green masala, and 2 tsp of Malvani masala. Marinate for an hour. Cover and keep it in the refrigerator.
Make onion-coconut paste
- Heat 2 tsp of oil in a deep bottom pan over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until light golden.
- Add grated coconut and sauté until golden. Remove and keep it aside to cool down.
- Transfer the roasted ingredients to mixer/grinder jar.
- Add little water and grind to a fine paste. Do not add more water, the paste should be thick.
Making Malvani chicken curry
- Heat 3 tbsp of oil in a deep bottom pan/Kadai over medium heat.
- Add bay leaf and sauté for 30 seconds.
- Next, add onions and sauté until golden.
- Add ginger-garlic paste and sauté it for a minute.
- Add 2 tsp of Malvani masala (add as per spice preference). Cook it for a minute.
- Add the prepared onion-coconut paste. Cook until the coconut masala starts to leave oil from the sides.
- Add the marinated chicken. Cook until oil starts to separate from the sides.
- Add 3 cups of hot water and combine. (adjust the consistency of the curry as per your liking)
- Taste and add salt.
- Cover partially and cook until the chicken is cooked. It will take almost 15-20 minutes.
- Malvani Chicken Curry is ready to serve.
Video
Notes
- Dry roast all the whole spices on low-medium heat. Make sure to stir them often so that they get roasted evenly and to avoid the burning of spice.
- Deseed the dried red chilies to reduce the spiciness.
- Marinating the chicken makes it tender and juicy. Do not skip this step.
- While grinding the Malvani masala, make sure to grind it to a fine powder. Do not grind to a coarse powder. It will taste bitter if the spices come to your mouth.
- While making onion-coconut masala, add less water to grind it. If the ground coconut paste is too thin it will take longer to cook.
- The Malvani masala powder is going to spice up this dish. Add as per your taste. If you prefer spicy, add more. Similarly, if you prefer less spicy, add less.
- It is important to add hot water while making this chicken curry. It makes the chicken tender and juicy. Also, reduces the cooking time.
- You can store the homemade Malvani masala powder in an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator. It stays good for 6 months. You can use it to make any non-vegetarian curries like egg curry or mutton curry.
Super
Tasty