Kozhi nirachathu (stuffed chicken)

Method

1. Clean the chicken and set aside while making the stuffing.

2. Heat the ghee and oil in a saucepan and fry the onions, chillies and curry leaves for around 20 minutes, until the onions have turned a lovely dark brown. Take one third of the onions and use it for the stuffing, saving the remainder for the sauce.

3. For the stuffing: add the chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala and turmeric powder to the small portion of fried onions. Stir and fry for a minute before adding the coriander leaves, raisins, cashew nuts and lentils. Leave the stuffing to cool before using.

4. Fill the stuffing into the chicken's cavity and push the hard-boiled egg into the centre. Leave the chicken on one side while you make the sauce.

5. For the sauce: add the chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric, fennel seed powder and garam masala to the larger portion of the fried onion mixture and cook, stirring for a minute or so to take the raw taste away from the spices. Stir in the ginger and garlic while still on the heat and pour in the water.

6. Bring the sauce to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Place the chicken in the same pan, cover with a tight-fitting lid and simmer for about an hour until the chicken is tender, turning the bird once or twice during cooking.

7. Serve the whole chicken hot, sprinkled with coriander leaves, raisins and cashew nuts.

Cooks Notes:
Gram lentils are also called chana dal.

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Ingredients

1 (about 1.2kg) chicken

For the Fried Onion Mixture:

2 tbsp clarified butter, (ghee)
2 tbsp vegetable oil
4 large onions, thinly sliced
4 green chillies, shredded
12 curry leaves

For the Stuffing:

about 2 tbsp fried onion mixture
1/2 tsp Chilli powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp Garam masala
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped
1 tbsp raisins
2 tbsp cashew nuts
2 tbsp gram lentils, boiled and drained
1 egg, hard-boiled and shelled

For the Sauce:

about 4 tbsp fried onion mixture
1 tbsp mild chilli powder
1 tbsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp ground fennel seeds
1/2 tsp Garam masala
3cm piece of fresh root ginger, shredded
2 fat garlic cloves, chopped
300ml water

For the Garnish:

2 tbsp chopped coriander
1 tbsp raisins
1 tbsp cashew nuts, halved

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