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close-up of mangalorean chicken curry (kori gassi) served in a white colored bowl.
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5 from 2 votes

Mangalorean Chicken Curry Recipe (Kori Gassi)

Mangalorean Chicken Curry, also known as Kori Gassi, is a staple in Mangalore. It is made with tender chicken pieces simmered in a creamy, spicy, and aromatic gravy made with freshly roasted spices and coconut milk. It pairs perfectly with neer dosa, kori rotti, or rice.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course: Main
Cuisine: Indian, Manglorean
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 477kcal
Author: Preeti Nayak

Equipment

  • 1 large mixing bowl
  • 1 Heavy bottom pan
  • 1 Heavy bottom pot

Ingredients

To marinate the chicken

  • 800 g bone-in chicken (curry cut)
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt

To make the Mangalorean red masala paste

  • 1-2 teaspoon oil
  • 12-15 Byadagi or Kashmiri red chilies
  • 15-20 small garlic cloves or 7-8 big size garlic cloves
  • 1- inch ginger
  • 1 small onion, sliced
  • ½ cup scraped/grated fresh coconut if using canned coconut milk skip it
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric
  • a small size tamarind ball (or add lemon juice)

Whole spices

  • ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds
  • ¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
  • 2 tablespoon coriander seeds
  • 1 teaspoon fennel
  • 1- inch cinnamon
  • 4 cloves
  • 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
  • ½ teaspoon cumin

Other Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoon oil
  • 2 teaspoon ghee
  • 1 small onion chopped
  • 1 sprig curry leaves
  • 1 cup of thin coconut milk (recipe in notes, substitute with 200 ml of canned coconut milk)
  • 1 cup of thick coconut milk

Tempering

  • 2 teaspoon ghee (clarified butter)
  • 1 onion, sliced sliced
  • 1 sprig curry leaves

Instructions

Preparations for kori gassi

  • For the marinade: Combine the chicken with turmeric powder and salt. Let the chicken marinate for 30 minutes.
  • Scrape the coconut and set it aside. If you are using canned coconut milk, you can skip this step.
  • Slice the onions and set them aside.

Making the Mangalorean red masala paste

  • Heat a pan over medium-low heat. Add ½ teaspoon of oil. Add mustard seeds, fenugreek, coriander, fennel, cinnamon, cloves, black peppercorns and cumin. Stir-fry until aromatic. Remove and set this aside on a plate.
  • In the same pan, stir-fry dried red chilies on medium heat until crisp. Remove it to the same plate.
  • In the same pan, add 1 teaspoon of oil, then add ginger, garlic and onions. Stir-fry on medium heat until the onions are golden brown. Remove it to the same plate.
  • In the same pan, add scrapped coconut and turmeric. Roast for 2-3 minutes until coconut starts to become golden. Remove it to the same plate.
  • Let all the roasted ingredients cool down completely.
  • Break the roasted red chilies and deseed them to reduce the spiciness of the chilies (optional step).
  • Add it to the mixer or grinder jar. Add the rest of the roasted ingredients.To this add a small piece of tamarind and ½ cup water. Grind it to a smooth paste. Your homemade Mangalorean red masala paste is ready. Set this aside.

Making the Mangalorean chicken curry

  • Heat 2 teaspoon of oil and 2 teaspoon of ghee in a pan over medium heat.
  • Add onions and curry leaves and stir-fry until onions are golden.
  • Add marinated chicken and stir-fry until the color of the chicken changes from pink to white. Cover and cook it for a minute. Open the lid, if your chicken appears to be drying out, add ¼ cup of water and combine.
  • Cover and cook for a minute. Open the lid, add a small amount of water (about ¼ cup) to prevent sticking, and stir occasionally. Continue cooking covered until the chicken is cooked through. Be mindful not to add too much water at once, as it will thin the curry before adding the coconut milk.
  • Add the ground masala paste. Stir in the paste and cook until it comes to a boil.
  • Add 1 cup of thin coconut milk. Let it come to a boil. If using canned coconut milk add it now.
  • Taste the gravy and add salt to taste. Reduce the heat to low. Add 1 cup of thick coconut milk. Let it simmer on low heat until a gentle boil is reached. Meanwhile, prepare the tempering.

For the tempering

  • Heat 1-2 teaspoons of ghee over medium heat. Add onions and curry leaves. Stir-fry until onions are golden brown. Add the tempered (fried) onions and curry leaves to the curry. Mangalorean chicken curry is ready to serve. Serve Kori gassi with Rice, Neer dosa or roti.

Video

Notes

  • Roasting the spices brings out the best flavors in this Mangalorean curry. Traditionally, adding a little oil while roasting spices and coconut is indeed a common practice in Mangalorean cooking. It helps enhance the flavors and prevents burning. But you can also dry roast the spices.
  • You can reduce the spiciness of the curry by increasing the quantity of coconut milk in this recipe.
  • If you do not have tamarind, skip it while making red masala paste. Add lemon juice towards the end of cooking.
  • You can add tomatoes to the curry. After the onions turn golden brown, add one chopped tomato and cook until it softens and becomes mushy. This will add a touch of sweetness and depth of flavor to the curry.
  • The curry should be medium thick, not too soupy or dry.
  • Ghee adds depth of flavor to the curry. Don't skip tempering the onions in ghee for the best results. If you have dietary restrictions, coconut oil or vegetable oil can be used for frying the onions.
  • To make homemade coconut milk - Place 2 cups of scraped coconut in a blender/mixer jar. Add 3 cups of water (room temperature). Blend for 1-2 minutes until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Pour the blended mixture into a strainer lined with cheesecloth or a fine-mesh strainer placed over a bowl. Use a spoon or your hand to squeeze out all the coconut milk from the pulp in the strainer. This is the first extract also called thick coconut milk. Transfer the coconut milk to another bowl. Keep it aside.
    Now, put the coconut pulp back into the blender and add 1 cup of water. Grind it for 1-2 minutes. Pour the blended mixture into a strainer. Squeeze out the maximum coconut milk from the pulp. This is the second extract of thin coconut milk.
    While cooking the curry, we will use the second extract first and then add the first extract towards the end of cooking. The first extract has a high-fat content and cannot be boiled as it curdles easily. The second extract has a less fat content and can be boiled.

Nutrition

Calories: 477kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Cholesterol: 58mg | Sodium: 80mg | Potassium: 790mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 956IU | Vitamin C: 138mg | Calcium: 82mg | Iron: 6mg