Gongura chicken recipe

Gongura chicken recipe is a variation of andhra chicken curry that is very popular especially in Andhra restaurants. Gongura means roselle leaves in Telugu. These leaves are the star of this recipe. Gongura chicken is a spicy and slightly sour tasting curry made with chicken, gongura, onions, chilies, spices & herbs.

Gongura chicken is served with hot ghee and rice. It can also be served with roti or chapati.

Gongura chicken is a very common dish in some regions of Andhra Pradesh and is consumed often. These leaves are also called as puntikura in some regions of Andhra & pulicha keerai in tamilnadu.

It is a rich source of iron and few other essential nutrients. So it is widely used in Andhra cuisine to make various dishes.

Gongura pappu, gongura mutton, gongura pachadi are some of the special dishes made with roselle leaves.

Gongura chicken turns out best when the sourness from the leaves is well balanced in the dish. Each home and restaurant has their own trick to balance this sourness.

We usually use either poppy seeds or cashews to do the job. Poppy seeds not only balance the sourness of gongura but also brings a rich, creamy & milky taste to the gongura gasagasalu. In restaurants they go the easy way and use cashew paste.

This recipe will give you a very delicious gongura chicken that is better than in restaurants.

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Preparation for Gongura chicken

1. Dry roast or sundry poppy seeds until crunchy.

2. Make a fine powder of the poppy seeds first. Add very little water and grind to smooth. Very smooth else you will get the seeds in your mouth while you eat the curry.

If your blender is unable to make a fine powder, I suggest you to use smooth cashew paste instead of poppy seeds. Set this aside.

3. Marinate the chicken with ginger garlic paste, turmeric, red chili powder and salt. Set aside.

4. Pluck the leaves (discard even tender stems), wash thoroughly.

5. Heat a pan with 1 tsp oil, add these leaves along with slit green chilies and fry till they wilt off. Add little sugar as soon as you add leaves if you desire to retain the green color, but it has never helped me.

Set aside to cool. Once cool, grind the leaves & chilies coarsely. It is difficult to grind it to smooth. Grind it according to your desire smooth or coarse. Set aside.

How to make gongura chicken

6. Heat a pan with oil, add the whole spices and sauté till you get an aroma.

7. Add onions, green chilies, sprinkle some salt and fry till the onions turn brown.

8. Add ginger garlic paste and fry until the raw smell goes off.

9. Add chicken and fry on medium high for 2 to 3 mins, till the chicken turns white.

10. Pour enough water to partially cover the chicken. Add garam masala.

11. Cover and cook till the chicken is tender and fully cooked.

12. Add the poppy seeds paste or cashew paste and mix well. Let it begin to cook and bubble. Add gongura paste and mix well. You must be stirring to prevent sticking at the bottom.

13. Cook on a low flame for 3 to 4 mins or till the desired consistency is reached.

To adjust the sourness, you can add more poppy seeds paste or cashew paste.

Serve gongura chicken curry hot with rice, raw onions and ghee.

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