Madurai Chicken Curry – Kuzhambu South Indian Coconut Pepper Curry

Ingredients

For the Spice Mix

• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 2 teaspoons Kashmiri chili powder, or use paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed fennel seeds
• 2 teaspoons shredded coconut

For the Tofu

• 14 ounces firm or extra firm tofu, pressed for at least 15 minutes then torn into bite-sized pieces
• 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste, or use 3 cloves garlic minced and 1/2 inch ginger minced
• 1 teaspoon oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch, or tapioca starch
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder, or use paprika

For the Curry

• 1 teaspoon oil
• 1 1/4 cup chopped finely chopped red onion
• 8 curry leaves, fresh, frozen, or dried are all fine
• 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste, or 3 cloves of garlic, minced, and 1/2” of ginger, minced
• 1/2 cup chopped tomato
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups water, or light coconut milk or a mix of the water and coconut milk or other non-dairy milk
• cilantro and lime juice, for garnish

Steps

1. Heat the oven to 400° F (205° C).

Make the spice mix.

1. Mix all the spices in a bowl and set aside. If the fennel seeds are whole, you can crush them, chop them with a knife, or put all the spices and coconut in a spice grinder and pulse a few times to powder, then set aside.

Make the Baked Tofu “Chicken”

1. If not already pressed, press the tofu, then tear into bite-sized pieces and put in a bowl with ginger-garlic paste and oil. Toss thoroughly to coat.
2. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch, salt, Kashmiri chili powder and 1 ½ to 2 teaspoons of the prepared spice mix. Sprinkle all over the tofu and toss to coat well. Spread on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until most pieces are starting to get slightly crisp at the edges.
3. To use a skillet instead, heat a large skillet over medium-high and add 2 teaspoons oil. Once hot, add tofu and cook, flipping occasionally, until crisp on most edges; this can take 6 to 8 minutes. Remove and use the same pan for the sauce.

Make the curry.

1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add oil. Once hot, carefully add and mix in curry leaves. When they stop spluttering, add onion and a good pinch of salt and mix. Cook for 6 to 9 minutes until the onion is golden, adding splashes of water in between to brown the onions evenly and conduct heat evenly.
2. Stir in ginger-garlic paste and the remaining spice mix. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes until the spices smell roasted and the garlic is cooked.
3. Mix in tomato and salt and cook for 5-7 mins until mushy. Press and mash some larger tomato pieces, add coconut milk or water and mix, then cover the skillet with a lid.
4. Bring to a boil and simmer another 2 minutes. Carefully taste and adjust salt, flavour and thickness. For more sauce, add more coconut milk, nondairy milk or water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lightly fold in the baked tofu, turn off the heat and garnish with cilantro and lime juice. Serve with rice, South Indian parotta, naan or dosa.