The Hirshon Indian Malvani Chicken Curry SUPREME – मालवणी चिकन करी

Citizens! Today marks the confluence of three of the most celebratory holidays in the Indian religious lexicon – the Hindu Festival of Colors known as Holi, Ramadan for Muslims and the Jewish celebratory costumed holiday of Purim! All three religions collide in this region of India (as well as Roman Catholicism!), and today’s recipe for Malvani chicken curry is My choice to represent the glorious celebratory triumvirate – today’s recipe image even showcases a range of beautiful colors worthy of Holi, helps to break the fast like a Muslim gourmet and was developed/written by a Jew. 😉

 

 

 

Malvan was a small fishing hamlet, just one of the many on the Konkan coast before the Maratha Empire breathed life into it. Particularly under their greatest leader Chhatrapati Shivaji, who in 1664 undertook the task of erecting the massive fort of Sindhudurg on an island just off Malvan. Uniquely, the great warrior king contributed his own physical labour to its construction. That’s why, in Sindhudurg, you’ll discover the imprints of Shivaji’s own hands and feet preserved in a slab of lime.

Malvani cuisine is the standard cuisine of the South Konkan region of the Indian states of Maharashtra and Goa. Although Malvani cuisine is predominantly non-vegetarian, there are many vegetarian dishes. Although it is an independent cuisine, it overlaps Maharashtrian cuisine and Goan cuisine. Malvan is a town in the Sindhudurg district on the west coast of Maharashtra.

Malvani cuisine uses coconut liberally in various forms such as grated, dry-grated, fried, coconut paste and coconut milk. Many masalas have dried red chilies and other spices like coriander seeds, peppercorns, cumin, cardamom, ginger and garlic. Some dishes also use kokum, dried kokam (amsul), tamarind, and raw mango (kairi).  Fish dishes dominate Malvani cuisine. Solkadhi is a pink-colored drink made from the kokam fruit (Garcinia indica) and coconut milk.

Malvani cuisine is – like today’s holiday triumverate! – very much a collision of different styles and flavor palates. There is an exceptional writeup of the history of Malvani cuisine from slurrp.com that I have selectively excerpted below:

Malvan is said to be a mix of ‘Maha’ and ‘Lavan’, where Maha means a large piece of land (Marshy area of Malvan) and Lavan means Salt, which describes the production of salt produced in the Malvan region.

Malvani cuisine is one of India’s finest gifts to the gastronomical dictionary, and if it is the first time you hear about this cuisine, be ready to be surprised. Those who love spicy food, and coastal seafood dishes, are certainly in for a treat if you walk into a Malvani cuisine restaurant. Malvan, the epicentre of the Malvani Cuisine, is a small town in the Sindhudurga district of southern coastal Maharashtra, known for the historical sindhudurga fort, built by Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

It is a smaller region within the larger, more oversized Konkan belt (From Daman in Gujarat to Karwar in Northern Karnataka); many aspects of the cuisine overlap. It is correct to say that Malvan cuisine is part of Konkan cuisine, but all Konkan cuisine dishes are not part of Malvani cuisine. Malvani cuisine is one of those cuisines that is an amalgamation of multiple cuisines but at the same time quite autonomous. Let’s explore this lesson on the cuisine of India which is appetising and full of so many unknown dishes and flavours.

Malvan Coast flaunts several interesting flavours and dishes that majorly consist of vegetables and fish. Chicken and seafood are a very important part of this cuisine and are present in almost every Malvani meal. This is a unique cuisine that is a concoction of food practices from Goa, Maharashtra and some northern parts of West Karnataka.

What is interesting about this cuisine is the influences that it takes from different states of the country. All three states including Goa, Maharashtra and Karnataka share a geographical vicinity. This led to the exchange of flavours across the states and gave rise to the Malvani Cusine.

The other interesting aspect of this cuisine is that it is a mixture of the fierceness of different masalas, and at the same time, the fresh taste of grated coconut. The sweetness and the sourness in the food of this cuisine are inspired by the Sarawat Goud community. The inception of this cuisine can be found in the beautiful town of Maharashtra called Sindhudurg. This coastal town has a lot of different and unique ways of cooking food. Although the food practises in this town are quite independent, it is a mixture of borrowed ingredients and cooking methods from areas Goa and western Karnataka.

Malvani cuisine is different from any other kind of cuisine that you will find in the country because of the different types of cooking methods and ingredients used. Most of the food cooked in Malvani Cusine is cooked with the help of coconut oil. Coconut is a very important part of discussing and it is used in various forms, including grated, dried, milk and paste.

But you will be surprised to know that despite the pervasive use of coconut, the food is excitingly spicy and full of tantalising flavours. This is because a generous amount of dried chillies, cardamom, tamarind and garam masala is used in the preparation of all the dishes.

Most of the dishes are generally deep-fried or pan-fried. You will find a lot of Currys in this cuisine that are cooked with the help of simmering. Some famous dishes also use ingredients like raw, mangoes, kokum, and tamarind. Malvani masala is also very popular and used in the preparation of Malvani food. It is a dried powder that is made by mixing 15 to 16 dry spices.

All the fresh masala pods are ground together and stored in jars. These are then used whenever required. It is this masala that gives the Malvani food its special flavours. The combination of the Malvani masala with grated coconut is the best possible combination of flavours that complement each other well.

Most of the Malvani dishes are dominated by non-vegetarian dishes, but there are plenty of vegetarian dishes as well. And of the most popular vegetarian dishes is bhakri which is made from rice flour. This is inspired by the Maharashtrian Joari and Chapati. Although you will find a lot of flavours in spiciness in Malvani dishes, not all of them are extremely spicy. The Konkanastha Brahmin style of food is very bland, but at the same time quite delicious. This is great for vegetarians and people who do not like eating food infused with too many spices.

Phanasachi Bhaji is a delicious vegetarian dish that is made from chillies, spices and jackfruit. Jackfruit has a very similar taste to that of chicken and is a great option for people who want to enjoy the taste of meat, but at the same time stay vegetarian. Kalya Vatanya Chi Aamti is another delicious curry that is made from black pieces, coconut and Malvani masala. Kombdi Vade is the chicken curry from the Malvani Cusine and is very popular among the natives.

The seafood made in the cuisine is very spicy but at the same time addictive. Most of the dishes are irresistible and mouth-watering. Some of the evergreen favourites in Malvani cuisine include prawns, crabs, and mackerel. Jhinga Fry is a dish from Malvani cuisine and is made of fried prawns that are rolled in some flour before frying.

Mori masala is a shark curry that is also very popular on the Konkan coast. Bombay fry or Bombay duck fry is also extremely popular among the Konkan region, especially in areas like Raigarh and Mumbai. Some famous sweet dishes from this cuisine include cucumber cake that is made from cucumber, Rava and jaggery. This is Dhondas in the local language. Khaproli is also a very famous dessert that is like a fluffy pancake dipped in sweet, yellow juice.

Citizens, this recipe is unquestionably complex, with many different steps and blends of different spices (wet and dry) that will layer the flavors in a way guaranteed to tantalize your taste buds as only the Sultan of Spices can accomplish! I do not gift any recipe with the word “Supreme” lightly or often – this may not be an everyday meal for you, but when you NEED to impress: this should be a go-to! Despite the many ingredients and steps, this is not a difficult recipe to make – fear not and gird your culinary loins for the challenge!

So – without further ado…

Malvani masala forms the backbone of the flavor profile for this recipe – and it is indeed a complex and worthy addition to your spice cabinet! You will need a few unusual ingredients for this one, including dried stone flower or dagad phool – buy it from here. Dried red Kashmiri chilis add more color than heat – you can grab them from Amazon here. Pandi chilis add more heat and may be purchased from here, and top-quality dried asafœtida (smelling pungently of onion and garlic!) may be purchased from here – remember that a little goes a VERY LONG WAY!

There is a LOT of coconut in this dish, and much of it is grated from the fresh coconut itself! Cracking open a coconut safely is of paramount importance, so please follow these directions I cribbed from food52.com, taking every precaution!

Step One
Locate the “three eyes” on the top of the coconut. Stare at the coconut and watch as it stares back at you. Use a metal skewer to poke and prod the eyes like an optometrist and find the one that feels the softest; once you do, push the skewer through to create a hole. You may need to use a mallet or hammer for added pressure, but do so carefully.

Step Two
Invert the coconut over a bowl or measuring cup to drain the liquid, aka coconut water. Drink the water as is (it’s like what you get from a carton or can, only fresher!) or store it in the refrigerator for up to a few days.

Step Three
Okay, time to crack it open. Hold the coconut between a plush kitchen towel and, using the same mallet or hammer, gently pound against the “equator” line on the coconut until the shell starts to crack in half. Once it seems like the shell will easily come apart, twist it until the coconut halves break apart.

To make your life immeasurably easier in obtaining the sweet fresh-grated meat needed for this recipe, do yourself a favor and spend the $16 to get this hand-cranked fresh coconut grater from Amazon here. Unsweetened dried coconut may be purchased here.

My Citizens! I have every confidence that you will treasure this rare, herbaceous and spicy Indian recipe as much as I do, as it is worthy of both song and story and needs to be praised by all of TFD Nation – by My order. 😉

Battle on – the Generalissimo

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