Kerala Chicken Stew with Coconut Milk and Appam

Ingredients

• 600 g chicken thigh fillets, diced
• 400 ml coconut milk
• 300 g potatoes, peeled and diced
• 150 g carrots, diced
• 2 onion, finely sliced
• 2 green chillies
• 15 g fresh ginger
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 4 whole cloves
• 10 curry leaves
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 600 g dosa batter (ready-made)

Method

1. 1

   Heat the coconut oil in a large pan, add the cinnamon stick, cloves and sliced onion, and fry for 8 minutes until the onion softens.

2. 2

   Add the ginger, green chillies and curry leaves, and fry for 2 minutes.

3. 3

   Add the diced chicken and cook for 5 minutes, stirring, until sealed on all sides.

4. 4

   Add the potatoes, carrots and half the coconut milk, cover and simmer for 20 minutes until the chicken and vegetables are tender and no pink remains in the chicken.

5. 5

   Stir in the remaining coconut milk and simmer for 5 minutes more, without letting it boil hard.

6. 6

   For the appam, thin the dosa batter with a splash of water to a pourable consistency.

7. 7

   Heat a small, rounded wok or non-stick frying pan, pour in a ladle of the thinned batter and swirl it around the sides as it cooks, so the edges are thin and lacy and the centre stays soft; cover and cook for 2 minutes until set.

8. 8

   Repeat with the remaining batter and serve the appam alongside the chicken stew.