Chettinad Chicken Curry

Ingredients -

Chicken - 1/2 kg
Potato - 1 (if required)
Onion -1 (finely chopped)
Tomato - 1 (finely chopped)
Ginger - a small piece (or 1 spoon paste)
Garlic - 4 pods (or 1 spoon paste)
Coconut - 3 spoon
Lemon - 1 (or 1 spoon juice)
Salt - as needed
Oil - 3 spoons
Turmeric powder - 1/4 spoon
Coriander leaves - to garnish

Masala items -

Red chills - 5
pepper - 1/2 spoon (if needed)
Sombu - 1/2 spoon
Coriander seeds - 1 spoon ( or 2 spoon coriander powder)

Seasoning -

Bay leaf - 3 leaves
Sombu - 1/2 spoon
Pattai / krambu - 3

Method -
1. Wash the chicken, add salt, turmeric powder and lemon juice and keep it for 15 minutes
2. Wash the ginger and garlic and make it into a fine paste / or instant paste can be used
3. In a small kadai, fry the ingredients specified under Masala items and ground it to a fine powder
4. In a kadai, add oil; when the oil is hot - add bay leaf, sombu, pattai / krambu and fry for 30 seconds
5. Add the onions and ginger-garlic paste and fry till the onions turns transparent
6. Add the tomatoes, turmeric powder and fry for 1 minute
7. Add chicken and cook it for 5 minutes (by closing with a lid)
8. Cut the potatoes to square pieces and add to chicken if required (optional)
9. Cook it for 5 more minutes with lid closed
10. Add the grounded Masala powder and cook the chicken for 10 more minutes
11. Grind the coconut to a paste and add it to the curry, and add water as required
12. Allow it to boil till it turns out to be thick curry
13. Garnish with coriander leaves
14. Yummy Chicken curry is ready