Last Updated on March 28, 2024 by Share My Kitchen
Gongura chicken gravy is one of the popular Andhra recipes. It is made with sour sorrel leaves and bone in tender chicken pieces.
Gongura, also known as sorrel leaves or pulicha keerai in Tamil, is a versatile green vegetable that can be used in many different recipes from different parts of India. These popular leafy greens in Andhra cuisine are also known as spinach dock, garden sorrel, or sour spinach.
Gongura Recipes
While this green vegetable is used across India, Andhra is well-known for its gongura recipes. Every dish, from Gongura maamsam (mutton) to gongura pachadi, and from gongura pappu to gongura chicken, is unique and versatile. You can find the same gongura-pappu as pulicha keerai with some modifications in Tamil homes.
Spices Used
Andhra cuisine is well-known for its spicy and hot food, which includes lots of chilies. The gongura chicken uses both dry and green chilies for heat, and red chili powder for color. This gravy is flavorful despite having only a small amount of whole spices, like cumin seeds, bay leaf, and a little garam masala (optional) added to it. The flavor of gongura should be reflected in the Kodi Kura, as it is the main ingredient, rather than heavy masala spices.
Gongura Chicken Recipe
| Prep Time | 15 minutes |
| Cook Time | 15 minutes |
| Total Time | 30 minutes |
| Course | Gravies, Main Course |
| Cuisine | Andhra, South Indian |
| Servings | 4 |
Ingredients:
To Saute & Grind:
- 1 tsp Oil
- 2 cups Gongura
- 2 Green chilies
- 10 Cashews
To Marinate:
- 1 kg chicken with bones
- ½ tsp Turmeric powder
- ½ tsp Salt
To make gravy:
- 2 tbsp Oil
- 1 Bay leaf
- 1 Cinnamon bark
- ½ tsp Cumin seeds
- 1 Tomato
- ¾ tsp Chili powder
- ¾ tsp Coriander powder
- 1 cup Onions
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp Garam masala
- 1 tbsp GG paste
Instructions:
Preparation:
- First, rinse and clean the leaves of the sorrel plant. You don’t need the smaller branches or stems, but you need 2 cups of gongura leaf.
- Rinse 1 kg of chicken pieces, then pat them dry. Preferably, use chicken curry cut pieces with bones.
- Then, chop a cup of onions, and prepare ginger garlic paste.
- For 10 minutes, soak 10 cashews in warm water.
- Marinate the chicken in 1/2 tsp turmeric powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt, then keep aside for 30 minutes.
Gongura Chicken Gravy Recipe:
Sauté and Grind:
- Begin by heating a teaspoon of oil in a flat pan. Then, add 2 green chilies and 2 cups of clean gongura leaves.
- Now, the leaves need to be sauteed for a few minutes without over-browning them.
- Allow the leaves to cool for a few minutes, then add the soaked cashews. These should be ground into a fine paste. Set aside.
Gongura Chicken Curry:
- In a large saucepan, heat 2 tbsp of oil, and fry 1 bay leaf and a cinnamon stick with 1/2 tsp of cumin seeds.
- Add 4 dry red chilies and onions, then sauté until they turn a golden brown color.
- Add 1 tbsp of ginger garlic paste to the pan and sauté for about a minute to remove the raw smell.
- Then, add the tomatoes and cook until tender. Next, add 3/4 teaspoon of chili powder and 3/4 teaspoon of coriander powder.
- Mix the chicken marinade with the other ingredients. Cover the pan with a lid, and allow the chicken to cook for 5 minutes on its own juice.
- Next, open the lid, and add a cup of water in order to cook the bones. Place the cover again and cook for 10 minutes.
- Then, mix the gongura chili paste and salt when the chicken is about 3/4th done and mixed well.
- Cover the pan and allow the gongura kodi kura to simmer for 5 minutes more.
- Turn off the heat and serve the gongura chicken gravy over hot rice.
Notes:
- Gongura kodi kura is better made from chicken with bones than boneless chicken.
- You can leave out the tomato since sorrel leaves give enough sour flavor to the gravy.
