Kori gassi, a flavorful chicken curry from Mangalore, will win your heart with its mind-blowing flavors and you can make this restaurant style dish at home with utmost ease & perfection!
What is Mangalorean Kori Gassi?
Mangalorean kori gassi literally means chicken curry from the heart of Mangalore, which is a coastal city at the shore of Arabian Sea on western coast of India. It is another gem of a recipe from Indian cuisine that’s a must in your recipe repertoire!
Kori gassi is a spicy chicken curry which takes in fresh spices and is balanced with the sweetness of coconut milk. Coconut is the primary flavoring ingredient for the gravy of this chicken curry.
A generous amount of coconut milk along with a cupful of grated coconut gives the kori gassi gravy that authentic delicious touch! The right balance of spiciness from chilies and sweetness from coconut is what makes this kori gassi a classic dish!
But if you are not a coconut lover, don’t worry, you won’t smell all the coconut in the final gravy as everything will mingle beautifully with each other! The final gravy of kori gassi is very smooth and creamy which soothes our senses like nothing else!
How Kori Gassi is different from other chicken curries?
This Mangalorean kori gassi is a real treat for any chicken lover! In case you are not fond of chicken, this dish has high potential to turn you into one!
The spice paste you make for kori gassi is key to this unique dish. The heat of spicy dry red chilies is perfectly balanced by the sweetness of coconut which is added in two ways – grated coconut and coconut milk.
You can use the spicier variety of dried red chillies, which you get locally, while making your kori gassi, because the heat will ultimately be somewhat mellowed down with a double dose of coconut.
To add the final touch of awesomeness, a kick of tartness is added in by tamarind pulp.
The incredible combination of spiciness, sweetness & tartness is what makes this dish so popular and your family favorite!
Ingredients for Mangalorean Kori Gassi
I know the list is a little long, but should not be tough to source!
Chicken: Like any other Indian chicken curry recipe, you should ideally use chicken curry cut pieces, which are nothing but the full bird cut up into small bone-in pieces, about 20 to 25. I also prefer skinless chicken and that’s what I have used in my kori gassi.
Ghee/clarified butter: The authentic taste of kori gassi comes out best when you make it in ghee i.e. clarified butter because it carries all the flavors of spices beautifully and much more effectively than any oil.
Onion: Onion is required for making the spice paste of red chilli & grated coconut and also for the gravy base and tempering i.e. tadka!
Coconut: Grated coconut is mandatory for a perfect kori gassi. Try to use freshly grated coconut for best results.
Dry red chilies: You will need about 10 dry red chillies – you can use 5 Kashmiri red chilies for vibrant red color and 5 spicy dry red chilies (Byadagi) for heat.
Garlic: The must-have aromatic for any Indian chicken curry. You will need about 6-8 cloves.
Whole spices: To make the best ever kori gassi, you will need few whole spices which will be sautéed and blended into the most incredible spice paste along with coconut, garlic and red chillies. The whole spices that you will need are cinnamon, cumin seeds, whole black peppercorn and white poppy seeds.
Fenugreek seeds: A pinch of fenugreek seeds will add extra depth of flavor along with all the other spices.
Coriander powder: A dash of coriander powder is added to the spice paste to complete the flavor profile.
Tamarind pulp: The essential ingredient to add the much required tartness to the gravy. Do not skip it.
Coconut milk/cream: The star of the show is coconut milk. Use a good quality thick coconut milk to bring out the best flavors of your dish.
Tomato: Plump red tomatoes are required to make the base of the rich and smooth gravy.
Turmeric powder: The quintessential spice for any Indian recipe, meaty or meatless. Fun fact: I guess you already know that this is the best antiseptic for the human body!
How to make Mangalorean Kori Gassi
This is a somewhat elaborate recipe and best enjoyed on a special day when you have enough time at hand.
Step 1: Heat the ghee in a medium skillet and let it melt. Once the ghee is hot and melted, add sliced onion and sauté for a minute. Then add grated coconut to the skillet and sauté them on medium-high heat stirring continuously. Let the coconut fry until it turns light golden, it would take about 5 minutes.
Step 2: Now add dry red chilies and garlic cloves. Give them a quick stir and sauté for 2 minutes.
Step 3: Next add the spices to the skillet – cinnamon stick, cumin seeds, whole black peppercorn and poppy seeds. Continue sautéing the spices on medium high heat until they become fragrant. It would take about 2 to 3 minutes.
Step 4: Now switch off the flame and let the mixture cool down completely. Then transfer all the sautéed coconut mixture to a grinder jar. Add fenugreek seeds, coriander powder and tamarind pulp to the grinder.
Step 5: Also add about a cup of water to the grinder jar and grind everything to a smooth paste. Take your time to grind this mixture as it may take time to smoothly grind all the spices & coconut. Check in between to ensure blades are not stuck. The smoothness of this mixture will ensure you have a rich & silky smooth gravy at the very end.
Step 6: Once you have the thick & smooth coconut-curry paste, set it aside until needed.
Step 7: Wash the chicken well and drain out all of the excess water thoroughly. Add ½ teaspoon of turmeric powder and ½ teaspoon of salt to the chicken and mix them well with the chicken pieces. Set them aside.
Step 8: Heat a large wok over high heat. Add the ghee and let it heat up and melt. Add the finely chopped onion and sauté them on medium-high for 5 to 10 minutes until golden brown.
Step 9: Add the chopped tomatoes and sauté them on medium-high for 5 minutes or until it turns soft & mushy.
Step 10: Now add the chicken pieces and stir them well into the onion & tomato mixture. Season the chicken with salt to taste.
Step 11: Sauté the chicken on medium-high for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until the pieces are browned nicely on all sides. This step is important to develop the depth of flavor, hence don’t skip!
Step 12: Once the chicken pieces are nicely browned and sautéed, pour in the coconut-curry paste prepared earlier. Ensure to use up till the last bit of spice paste from the grinder jar!
Step 13: Add about 1 cup of warm water and stir to mix everything well. Let the gravy come to a boil. Then cover the wok and let the chicken cook on low for 10 to 15 minutes. After about 10 minutes, uncover the wok, stir everything up to ensure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Step 14: Now add the coconut milk and give a good mix. Bring it to boil again and let the gravy simmer uncovered on low for another 15 minutes. This will ensure the gravy thickens and becomes luscious.
Step 15: Transfer the hot and sizzling chicken kori gassi to a large serving bowl. To add the final master stroke, flash fry a couple tablespoons of thinly sliced onion in 2 tablespoons of ghee until they are crispy golden brown. Drizzle this crispy onion along with the ghee on top of the chicken kori gassi gravy to hit it with the ultimate flavor impact!
Your delicious Mangalorean Kori Gassi is ready to devour! Serve it with plain white rice and enjoy!
Other delicious chicken curry you will enjoy:
- Chicken – 1 kg, curry cut, skinless & bone-in pieces
- Ghee/clarified butter – 1 tbsp
- Onion – 1, small, thinly sliced
- Coconut – 1 cup, grated
- Dry red chilies – 10 (more details in notes below)
- Garlic – 6 to 8 cloves
- Cinnamon – 1-inch stick
- Cumin seeds – ½ tsp
- Whole peppercorn – ½ tsp
- Poppy seeds (white) – 1 tsp
- Fenugreek seeds – ¼ tsp
- Coriander powder – 2 tsp
- Tamarind pulp – 2 tsp
- Ghee/clarified butter – 4 to 6 tbsp
- Onion – 1, large, finely chopped
- Tomato – 1, large, finely chopped
- Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
- Coconut milk/cream – 2 cups
- Salt to taste
- Ghee/clarified butter – 2 tbsp
- Onion – 1, small, thinly sliced
- Heat the ghee in a medium skillet and let it melt. Once the ghee is hot and melted, add sliced onion and sauté for a minute.
- Then add grated coconut to the skillet and sauté them on medium-high heat stirring continuously. Let the coconut fry until it turns light golden, it would take about 5 minutes.
- Now add dry red chilies and garlic cloves. Give them a quick stir and sauté for 2 minutes.
- Next add all the spices to the skillet – cinnamon stick, cumin seeds, whole black peppercorn and poppy seeds. Continue sautéing the spices on medium high heat until they become fragrant. It would take about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Now switch off the flame and let the mixture cool down completely. Then transfer all the sautéed coconut mixture to a grinder jar.
- Add fenugreek seeds, coriander powder and tamarind pulp to the grinder. Also add about a cup of water to the grinder jar and grind everything to a smooth paste.
- Once you have the thick & smooth coconut-curry paste, set it aside until needed.
- Wash the chicken well and drain out all of the excess water thoroughly. Add ½ teaspoon of turmeric powder and ½ teaspoon of salt to the chicken and mix them well with the chicken pieces. Set them aside.
- Heat a large wok over high heat. Add the ghee and let it heat up and melt. Add the finely chopped onion and sauté them on medium-high for 5 to 10 minutes until golden brown.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and sauté them on medium-high for 5 minutes or until it turns soft & mushy.
- Now add the chicken pieces and stir them well into the onion & tomato mixture. Season the chicken with salt to taste.
- Sauté the chicken on medium-high for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until the pieces are browned nicely on all sides.
- Once the chicken pieces are nicely browned and sautéed, pour in the coconut-curry paste prepared earlier.
- Add about 1 cup of warm water and stir to mix everything well. Let the gravy come to a boil. Then cover the wok and let the chicken cook on low for 10 to 15 minutes.
- After about 10 minutes, uncover the wok, stir everything up to ensure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Now add the coconut milk and give a good mix. Bring it to boil again and let the gravy simmer uncovered on low for another 15 minutes.
- Your Mangalorean kori gassi is ready! Transfer the hot and sizzling chicken kori gassi to a large serving bowl.
- Finally, flash fry the thinly sliced onion in 2 tablespoons of ghee until they are crispy golden brown. Drizzle this crispy onion along with the ghee on top of the chicken kori gassi gravy.
- Your delicious Mangalorean Kori Gassi is ready to devour! Enjoy!
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