Kerala Chicken Stew/Kozhi Ishtoo

Ente swantham kerala chickenistoo !!

Easter celebrations at my parent’s house will be incomplete if there is no appams and chicken stew for breakfast ! My only motivation to sit through the early morning Easter Sunday mass is the thought of hot steaming appams and stew waiting for me back home. This Easter i missed my mom’s Easter breakfast (i so regret that)- thanks to being a busy working adult, i couldnt go to Kerala :(

This recipe is a recreation of my mom’s version of chicken ishtoo and this is also how one would make mutton stew except fot the extra time mutton needs to cook !

You Need :

1. Chicken- 1/2 kg, cut in to bite pieces.

2. Crushed Peppercorns- 1 tbsp

3. White Vinegar- 1 tbsp

4. Crushed Garlic- 2 tbsp

5. Chopped Ginger- 1 tbsp

6. Chopped Green Chillies- 2 tbsp

7. Green Cardamom- 5 nos

8. Cloves- 4 nos

9. Cinammon Stick- 1 small stick

10. Onions- 1 cup, diced

12. Maida – 1 tbsp

13. Coconut Milk- 200 ml thick coconut milk added with 300 ml of water (total 500ml)

14. Thick Coconut Milk- 100 ml

15. Oil- 2 tbsp

16. Curry leaves- 7-8 sprigs

17. Turmeric Powder- 1/4th tsp

18. Garam Masala- 1 tbsp

19. Salt to taste

This is how you make it :

1. Clean the chicken pieces and marinate the chicken with vinegar and crushed peppercorns for 30 minutes.

2. Heat oil in a pan and add the whole spices- cardamom, cloves and Cinnamon and saute for a minute.

3. Add the chopped ginger, green chillies and crushed garlic and saute for 2 minutes or till they turn slightly brown.

4. Now add the chopped onions and saute till the onions turn pink.

5. Add the turmeric powder and garam masala and mix well and saute for another minute.

6. Add salt according to your taste and mix well.

7. Add maidaand mix well with the mixture.

8. Add the chicken pieces with the vinegar and mix well till the maida mixture coats the chicken.

9. Add the 500 ml thin coconut milk.

10. Add the curry leaves and then cover and cook on a very low flame till the chicken is tender and cooked.

11. Finally just a minute before taking the chicken off from the flame, add the 100 ml thick coconut milk.

12. Serve the stew with appams, chappati, white rice or bread.

Good Reading

1. Mutton Stew from Salkaaram

2.Kerala Chicken Stew from Mary Has Two Little Lambs

3. Kozhi Istoo from Malabar Spices

4. Cooking Goddess’s Kerala Chicken Stew

5. Chicken Stew from Aayi’s Recipes