Authentic Chicken Urval Recipe | A Mangalorean Delight
Did the image remind you of Chicken Ghee Roast? It’s not! Similar to the popular Tinglish (Thai-English) expression, “same same, but different,” Chicken Urval and Chicken Ghee Roast may look alike, but their flavor profiles are distinct.
Yes, both dishes make liberal use of Byadgi chillies. However, as the name suggests, ghee takes center stage alongside Byadgi chillies in Ghee Roast, while in Uruval, Byadgi chillies steal the show. Moreover, butter is the preferred fat in Uruval. This helps the chilli paste stand out without the nuttiness and richness of the ghee taking over. Another distinct difference between the two dishes is the liberal use of seasoning in Chicken Uruval, which is missing in Ghee Roast. This seasoning imparts the Uruval with a myriad of textures and sub-flavors in every bite.
I tried researching the history and origins of this wonderful dish but with no luck yet. If you have any information about the origins of this dish, I would love to hear from you, so that I can bring forth this story to everyone. For now, I hope you will make this Chicken Urval recipe and love it!
How to make Chicken Urval
We begin with marinating the Chicken (curry-cut) with a marinade of turmeric powder, Garam masala powder, Ginger-garlic paste, salt & Lime juice, for atleast 30 minutes. At the same time, blanch some Byadgi chillies and set aside. Once the chicken is marinated, we prepare the seasoning.
For this, take a large kadhai/ pan that you will use for making the Chicken Urval and roast some curry-leaves until their moisture dries out (see notes). Add butter to the pan and once it melts, add the Byadgi chillies to the pan, followed by the Cashew-nuts and fry them just until the Cashew-nuts begin to brown. Strain and transfer the fried Curry leaves, Chillies & Cashew-nuts to a plate and set aside. While preparing the seasoning, parallely transfer the blanched chillies to a mixer grinder and grind them to a fine paste using about a quarter-cup of water.
After preparing the seasoning, add some more butter to the same pan and fry the Chilli-paste until its rawness vanishes. If there is any residual water from the mixer-grinder, add it to the pan and continue to fry the masala on medium heat until it dries out. Add the marinated chicken pieces to the pan and gently mix until the chicken is coated with the masala. Cover the pan with a lid and let the chicken cook in its own juices over a medium flame for atleast 10 minutes.
Remove the lid and continue cooking until most of the moisture has dried out. Check the salt and adjust if needed. Add the seasoning and continue to cook until all the moisture dries out. The Chicken Urval is ready. Enjoy it with Neer Dosa or Rice & Dal or as a Starter.
Chicken Urval
Equipment
- 1 Kadhai/ Frying Pan, large sized
Ingredients
- 1 kg Chicken (on the bone), curry-cut
- 3 tbsp Butter (unsalted)
- Salt, as per taste
For Marinating the Chicken:
- ½ tsp Turmeric powder
- 2 tsp Garam Masala powder
- 1 tbsp Ginger-Garlic paste
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 pc Lime (juiced)
For the Seasoning:
- 2 sprig Curry leaves
- 3 tbsp Butter (unsalted)
- 10 pc Byadgi Chillies
- ¼ cup Cashew nuts (halved/ broken)
For the Chilli-paste:
- 20 pc Byadgi Chillies (blanched) (see notes)
- ¼ cup Water
Instructions
Marinating the Chicken:
- Combine all the ingredients mentioned under "For Marinating the Chicken" into a paste and coat the chicken pieces with the marinade and set aside for atleast 30 minutes
Preparing the Seasoning:
- In a large pan/ kadhai, roast the curry leaves and once their moisture dries out, add the butter (see notes)
- Once the butter melts, add the Byadgi chillies to the pan, followed by the Cashew-nuts and fry them just until the Cashew-nuts begin to brown
- Strain and transfer the fried Curry leaves, Chillies & Cashew-nuts to a plate and set aside
Making the Chilli-paste:
- Transfer the blanched chillies to a mixer grinder and grind them to a fine paste using about a quarter-cup of water
Making the Chicken Urval:
- After preparing the seasoning, add some more butter to the same pan and fry the Chilli-paste until its rawness vanishes
- If there is any residual water from the mixer-grinder, add it to the pan and continue to fry the masala on medium heat until it dries out
- Add the marinated chicken pieces to the pan and gently mix until the chicken is coated with the masala
- Cover the pan with a lid and let the chicken cook in its own juices over a medium flame for atleast 10 minutes
- Remove the lid and continue cooking until most of the moisture has dried out
- Check the salt and adjust if needed
- Add the seasoning and continue to cook until all the moisture dries out
- The Chicken Urval is ready. Enjoy!
Notes
- Keep the byadgi chillies soaked in a bowl of boiling hot water for about 30 mins
- The moisture in the curry leaves, makes them splutter when added to hot butter, hence they are roasted ahead of adding the butter, to dry out their moisture
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