Chicken stew for "appam"

Chicken stew

The white stew is the perfect accompaniment to the "appam", the chicken, mutton or egg stews being foremost on everyone's list. There are also mixed vegetable or plain potato stews. This is how I make a white chicken stew.

Serves 4 to 6 persons
Preparation and cooking time: 35 to 40 minutes

Ingredients

1. Chicken - 1/2 kg

2. Potatoes diced  - 1/4 cup

3. Onions or shallots sliced long - 1 cup

4. Ginger sliced thin and long like the onions - 3/4 tablespoon

5. Garlic sliced long - 3/4 tablespoon

6. Fresh green  and red chillies slit  - 4

7. Curry leaves - 2 sprigs

8. Whole green cardamom - 3

9. Cloves - 3

10. Cinnamon sticks - 2 (half inch pieces)

11. Whole black pepper - 1/2 teaspoon

12. Fennel seeds - 1 teaspoon

13. Oil - 2 tablespoons

14. Salt to taste

15. Thin coconut milk - 2 cups

16. Thick coconut milk - 1/2 cup

Method


1. In a pan or wok, heat the oil.


2. To the hot oil, add items numbered 8 to 12. Let the cardamoms pop.


3. Add the ginger, garlic, some chillies and onions in this order. Saute till onions turn pink.


4. Add the chicken, curry leaves from one sprig and potatoes. Saute for a minute.


5. Add salt and the thin coconut milk. There should be enough liquid to cover the chicken and potatoes. (So if needed, add some more water.)


6. When the chicken and the potatoes are cooked, add the thick coconut milk, the rest of the curry leaves and slit chillies. Adjust for seasoning. Give it one boil and take off the heat.


7. Serve hot with "appam"s.


Tips

The recipes for "appam" and vegetable stew are given below.

I prefer using instant coconut milk powder to make the milk.

Mutton or hard-boiled eggs may be substituted for chicken. Mutton needs to be cooked well for a longer time or separately in a pressure cooker. Hard boiled eggs may be halved or left whole and added in step 6.

Vegetable stew for "appam"

The "appam" is best enjoyed with warm fragrant stew. There is the white stew and some people prefer to have a brown curry. My family prefers the white stew. This is how I make a white vegetable stew.

Serves 4 to 6 persons
Preparation time 20 to 30 minutes

Ingredients

1. Mixed vegetables like potatoes, beans, carrots and cauliflower florets, all cut in similar shape and size - 1/2 kg

2. Green peas - 1/4 cup

3. Onions or shallots sliced long - 1 cup

4. Ginger sliced thin and long like the onions - 1 tablespoon

5. Garlic sliced long - 1 tablespoon

6. Fresh red chillies* - 2 or 3

7. Curry leaves - 2 sprigs

8. Whole green cardamom - 3

9. Cloves - 3

10. Cinnamon sticks - 2 (half inch pieces)

11. Whole black pepper - 1/2 teaspoon

12. Fennel seeds - 1 teaspoon

13. Oil - 2 tablespoons

14. Salt to taste

15. Thin coconut milk - 2 cups

16. Thick coconut milk - 1/2 cup

Method

1. In a pan or wok, heat the oil.

2. To the hot oil, add items numbered 8 to 12. Let the cardamoms pop.

3. Add the ginger, garlic and onions in this order. Saute till onions turn pink.

4. Add the mixed vegetables, curry leaves from one sprig and peas. Saute for a minute.

5. Add salt and the thin coconut milk. There should be enough liquid to cover the vegetables. (So if needed, add some water to reach the level of vegetables.)

6. When the vegetables and the potatoes are cooked, add the thick coconut milk, the rest of the curry leaves and the slit red chillies. Adjust for seasoning. Give it one boil and take off the heat.

7. Serve hot with "appam"s.

Tips

The recipe for "appam" is given before this recipe.

*I like to add fresh red chillies as these will not be confused with the beans in the stew.

I prefer using instant coconut milk powder to make the milk.

All the vegetables cut in a similar shape and size add to the visual appeal of this dish.