Chicken Curry- Taste of Grandma's Kitchen!!!

We all love the taste of our childhood.... The smell of our grandmothers kitchen.... this taste and smell forms an important part of the emotional narrative of our childhood, our lives!!!

But havent you noticed over time, our recipes alter to accommodate our present lifestyle?
 One such example is using big onions for chicken curry. I remember, my ammachy always used pearl onion for chicken curries but now very few people use it. I too use big onions mostly but when I go home to my mothers, I just love the chicken curry there, it brings back so many memories, triggers emotions sometimes happy, sometimes sad....But mostly, wonderful memories.

This recipe with a generous helping of small onions sure recreates the taste of my childhood.
 And its amazing how I got the exact recipe/taste from someone I met by chance. My sons friends grandmother. This is her recipe and while waiting for my sons school bus, she was telling me about her daughter- in- laws blog. I googled and found the blog and this recipe was there. When I saw the small onions, I knew I had to try this and wow, I was transported back to those days and my kids inhaled this!!!!


Chicken: 1 kg
Fennel Seeds/ Perinjeerakam: 2 tsp
Small Onion/Pearl Onion/Shallots: 2 cups or 300 grams (pls do not use big onions)
Curry leaves: 4 sprigs
Ginger garlic paste: 1 tbsp
Tomato puree: 4 tbsp or of 2 tomatoes pureed
Kashmiri Chilly Powder: 2 tsp
Pepper Powder: 2 tsp
Coriander Powder: 4 tsp
Turmeric Powder: 1/4 tsp
Garam Masala: 1 1/2 tsp
Salt: as required
Oil: 4 tbsp

The peeled pearl onion weight should be 300 grams or 2 cups packed.
Slice each onion to 3. Do not have to make it too small.
Heat oil in a pressure cooker, splutter fennel seeds.
Thrown in the onions and curry leaves and saute till wilted.
Add the ginger garlic paste and saute till the raw smell is gone
Add the tomato puree, all the masalas and chicken and saute for sometime on low flame.
Add a cup of water and close the lid and cook for a whistle on high, then lower the flame and cook for one more whistle and switch off the flame.
When the pressure releases,open the lid and mix everything once and serve warm with rice or rotis.

Recipe Source: Mithraja's blog