Last Updated on December 1, 2021 by Babita
Kori Ghassi means Chicken Curry in Tulu. This chicken curry is made with a blend of fresh coconut and spices. It is a timeless, traditional recipe from the coastal town of Mangalore in the southern state of Karnataka. Kori Ghassi is one of those classic recipes that is handed down generations from mother to daughter.
Kori Ghassi is one of my favorite recipes and even my children love it. In fact, I make it at least once a month because of my kids. Even though this curry is spicy, they don’t mind it. They will eat it to their heart’s content and wait patiently until I make it the next time.
If you are pairing Kori Ghassi with rotti, then it is made using the chicken bones, like the back portion, the throat and all the gizzards. The parts of the chicken, which would usually be discarded are used to flavor the curry, while the rest of the meaty pieces are used to make Kori Ajadina (click for recipe). Most of the time I make kori ghassi to eat with rice or idli; in that case, I use all the chicken pieces and do not bother to separate. I hope you enjoy the recipe.
The Importance of Coconut in Kori Ghassi
One of the main ingredients in Kori Ghassi is coconut. Mangalore is a coastal town and such coconut is a common ingredient and is used in many of the local recipes. Almost every curry is made with coconut. Fresh grated coconut is ground with roasted spices to create a unique blend in which the chicken or other vegetable is cooked. Grated coconut is also used as garnish in many of the vegetarian dishes.
Ingredients for Kori Ghassi
1 whole chicken (3 – 4 lbs) cut into pieces
12-15 dry red Byadgi chilis
2 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
3/4 tsp whole black pepper
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 medium red onion
1 small ball of tamarind (soaked in little bit of warm water)
4 big flakes of garlic
1 3/4 cups of grated coconut
salt to taste
Ingredients for Tempering the Curry
3 tbsp of canola oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
10-12 curry leaves.
Instructions to Make Kori Ghassi (See Video in the Recipe Card)
- Add 1/2 tsp of turmeric and salt and marinate the chicken. Set it aside for about 10 to 15 mins.
- Roast the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, black pepper, dry red chilies, fenugreek seeds separately with a little bit of oil and set aside.
- Lightly roast the grated coconut.
- In a blender grind the roasted ingredients along with the garlic, onion, turmeric, tamarind water and salt to a very fine paste with water as required.
- Heat a large stockpot and add this coconut paste. Add about 4 cups of water and bring this curry mixture to a boil.
- Add the chicken pieces and cook for around 25 minutes or until done on medium flame.
- Once the chicken is cooked set it aside.
Instructions for Tempering the curry
- For tempering heat the oil in a small pan. Add the mustard and when its stops spluttering add the curry leaves. Take it off the heat and temper the chicken curry.
- Serve the curry over the rice crisps or with rice. It also pairs up really well with either idli or dosa.
Notes Regarding some of the Ingredients for Chicken Curry
Coconut: I have a hard time getting fresh coconut in NJ. They are available in Indian stores and other supermarkets, but most of the time when I have bought them they are not fresh and sometimes also spoilt. For this reason, I started using freshly grated coconut that is flash-frozen. The best way to use frozen coconut is to thaw it outside for about an hour and then lightly roast it in a pan.
This is the brand of fresh frozen grated coconut that I use. You can find these in the freezer section in the Indian stores.
Byadgi chilis: Byadgi Chilis, a variety of chili from the state of Karnataka. They are commonly known as Bedgi chili. It’s spice level is at the lower end of hot chilis. Personally I don’t find them very spicy. If you substitute Byadgi chili with other chilis, it will make this curry spicy.
What is Kori Rotti
Kori Rotti is a classic pairing of the Kori Ghassi (Chicken curry) with crisps made from rice and lentil (urad daal) batter. These crisps are known as rotti. I have included the picture below to show you how rotti looks. The rotti is smothered in chicken curry, which then makes these crisps soft.
How is Kori Rotti Served
If you check out the video in the recipe card, I have demonstrated how to serve kori rotti. Take a handful of rotti and place them on a plate and break them into smaller pieces. Pour the kori ghassi over it liberally. Allow it to rest for 1 minute or so, until most of the crisps have soaked in all of the curry and softened. See the picture below.
Useful Suggestions: FAQ
Please do not use coconut milk for this recipe. This is an authentic, heirloom recipe. If you use coconut milk or canned coconut milk, the taste of the curry will not be the same.
Yes, you can reduce the amount of red chilis if you want. However, these varieties of chili (Byadgi) are not very spicy. So using it as per this recipe will not be a problem.
If you cannot find tamarind, you can use a 1 and 1/2 tsp of tamarind pulp. However, this may change the color of the curry from orange to slightly brown. Another substitute you can use in place of tamarind is 1 large tomato.
It is possible to make rottis at home, but it is a very complicated process and requires specific type of skillet and recipe. The best option is to buy them ready made. They are available in some Indian stores and on Amazon.
Kori Ghassi for Kori Rotti
Kori Ghassi mean Chicken Curry in Tulu. This chicken curry is made with a blend of fresh coconut and spices. It is a timeless, traditional recipe from the coastal town of Mangalore in southern state of Karnataka.
Ingredients
- 1 chicken (3 – 4 lbs) cut into pieces
- 12-15 dry red chillies
- 2 tbsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 3/4 tsp whole black pepper
- 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 medium red onion
- 1 small ball of tamarind (soaked in little bit of warm water)
- 4 big flakes of garlic
- 1 3/4 cups of grated coconut
- 5 1/2 cups of water
- salt to taste
Ingredients for Tempering
- 3 tbsp of canola oil
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 10-12 curry leaves.
Instructions
- Add 1/2 tsp of turmeric and salt and marinate the chicken. Set it aside for about 10 to 15 mins.
- Roast the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, black pepper, dry red chilies, fenugreek seeds separately with a little bit of oil and set aside.
- Lightly roast the grated coconut.
- In a blender grind the roasted ingredients along with the garlic, onion, turmeric, tamarind and salt to a very fine paste with water (approx 1 1/2 cups).
- Heat a large stockpot and add this coconut paste. Add about 4 cups of water and bring this curry mixture to a boil.
- Add the chicken pieces and cook for around 25 minutes or until done on medium flame.
- Once the chicken is cooked set it aside.
- For tempering heat the oil in a small pan. Add the mustard and when its stops spluttering add the curry leaves. Take it off the heat and temper the chicken curry.
- Serve the curry over the rice crisps or with rice. It also pairs up really well with either idli or dosa.
Nutrition Information
Yield 8 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 215Total Fat 11gSaturated Fat 5gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 6gCholesterol 0mgSodium 144mgCarbohydrates 30gFiber 5gSugar 18gProtein 3g
BabsProjects.com provides nutritional information as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although BabsProjects.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, please remember these are estimates only.
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I’m always looking for new recipes and this looks awesome. I’ll try it next week after shopping!
This recipes sounds delicious. I love coconut curry and I bet the rice crisps are good with it.
That looks very interesting. I would be willing to give it a try!
This looks absolutely delicious! And rice crisps? That sounds so interesting that I’ll have to try it out for myself!
This looks so good! I’ve never tried a recipe like this before. I love anything with coconut.
Looks like a delicious recipe. I can tell by reading the spices it will taste delicious.
Those rice and lentil crips look so good as a snack. I was envisioning what I could dip them into! My family loves curry too. It’s a staple for us.
Ohh this sounds so interesting, I can definitely see myself giving something like this a try! x
This sounds really delicious. I will have to look at the international markets near me and see if I can find some roti so I can make this.
That looks so good! I love indian food so much.
That looks really good. Chicken is something we eat a lot around here. I like the idea of a curry coconut sauce.
This looks like such a flavorful recipe. I would love to try all of these flavor combinations on my palate.
Wow – I never knew – it looks exquisite and tasty – yes I like the idea of you making it for us! lol
Are the rice crips made with brown rice? If not… can you buy them made with brown rice? This dish sounds really good. I may have to come visit so you can make it for me.
Terry, unfortunately they are not made with brown rice. If they did I would have indulged it more without any guilt.