Malnad Chicken Curry Kozhi Curry Koli Saaru

While you are here, don’t forget to check out our best chicken handi recipe, easy chicken biryani or chicken tikka masala.

It was in early April this year we first visited Chikmagalur, and we ordered Malnad-style chicken curry for lunch at the restaurant in our hotel. It was so delicious, and the flavors were something that I had never tasted before in curry. We loved the gravy so much that we ordered it again for dinner. If you have been following our blog for a long time - you would know that we would try replicating this dish at home. After we returned from the trip, the dish was replicated to perfection. It is an excellent country-style chicken curry that you should try.

The combination of spices, cilantro, and mint gives the masala a unique flavor. The curry is then taken to the next level with the addition of coconut milk. I am sorry, but I am drooling while writing this post. To know why it is the best, you should try this out. You won’t be disappointed. This dish can be served with steamed rice, parboiled rice or Indian bread like naan, roti, or chapatis. In the Malnad region, this curry is served with akki rotti (rice chapati) or ragi mudde.

Ingredients For Malnad Chicken Curry | Kozhi Curry | Koli Saaru | Green Chicken Curry Indian

400 grams of Chicken thighs 1 teaspoon Salt ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder Juice of 1 lemon 5 to 6 Green chilies 12 to 15 Garlic cloves 1 inch Ginger, chopped 2 tablespoon Coriander seeds, dry roasted 1 teaspoon Black peppercorn 1 inch Cinnamon stick 2 Cardamom pods 2 Cloves 2 Handful of coriander leaves or Cilantro 1 Handful, Mint leaves or Pudina ½ cup Water 2 tablespoon Cashews 2 tablespoon Oil 2 Onions, medium-sized, sliced 2 Sprigs of curry leaves ¼ cup Water or use as required ¾ cup Coconut milk 1 teaspoon Garam masala powder

How To Make Malnad Chicken Curry? | Kozhi Curry | Koli Saaru

In a bowl, add chicken pieces, salt, turmeric powder, and juice of a lemon, and mix well. Keep it aside for at least 15 minutes.

Add all the ingredients mentioned under “for the curry masala paste” in a blender or mixie jar and blend it into a smooth paste. You can check out the video here.

In a pan on medium flame, add oil. Once the oil is hot, add onions and curry leaves and saute for 5 minutes or until the onion becomes translucent. Add marinated chicken and cook on one side for 3 minutes. Flip and cook on another side for another 3 minutes. To this, add the ground masala paste. Cover and cook it for 5 minutes. Give it a toss, cover, and continue to cook for another 5 minutes. Now add ¼ cup of water to the blender jar to clean any masala and add it to the gravy along with coconut milk. Stir well. Cover and cook for 5 minutes on low flame. Add garam masala powder, stir. Cover and cook for additional 5 minutes on low flame. When oil starts leaving the side of the pan, switch off the flame.

Adding cashews makes the gravy thicker, creamier, and richer. You can skip it or reduce the amount if needed. Adjust all the spices to taste. Adjust salt and water for desired taste and consistency.