Nattu Kozhi Curry Vindayi

Cooked with country chicken, lots of tomatoes, garlic, spices, cashew nuts, coconut milk and vinegar, the Pondicherry Vindayi tastes heavenly. Many Pondicherians feel the name "vindayi" has its origin in "vin d'ail", a French dish, meat cooked with wine.

Some say the Portuguese priests brought this Goan dish to this part of India. In fact, vinegar, a European condiment, is used intensively in Goan cuisine. And Goa is known for its vindalu. Vindayi and vindalu sound similar but the Pondichery vindayi tastes different.

Ingredients:

• Serves 6
• Cooking time 30 minutes
• Country chicken or mutton - 1 kg
• Onions - 5 big finely chopped
• Garlic - 2 big crushed
• Tomatoes - 7 big finely chopped
• Cumin seeds - 2 tbsp powdered
• Chilli powder - 1 heaped tbsp
• Cloves - 2
• Cinnamon - 1 small piece
• Bay leaf - Half a leaf
• Curcuma - 1 tsp
• Vinegar - 2 tbsp
• Gingili oil - 2 tbsp
• Cashew nuts - 8 ground to a fine paste
• Coconut - Half (extract the 1st, 2nd, 3rd milk)
• Salt to taste

Method:

• Grate half a coconut, put it in a mixer and run it with 100 ml of water. 
• Strain the liquid for the 1st milk. Keep aside.
• Repeat the operation for the second and third milk with 100 ml of water each time.
• In a deep frying pan, heat oil, add bay leaf, clove and cinnamon. 
• Let the spices splutter. Add onions, fry till golden, add garlic, cumin, chilli, curcuma and fry well. 
• Add tomato. Cook covered till the tomato is soft. 
• Add salt and then the chicken or mutton and fry till the gravy thickens.
• Add the second and third coconut milk. Cook on a low fire, till the meat is ready.
• Mix the cashew nut paste to the first milk and add it to the curry. 
• Add vinegar. Bring to a boil. The gravy should be thick. Turn off the stove.
• Serve piping hot with plain rice or ghee rice and Salade Pondichérienne.

Courtesy : The Hindu
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