Lesley's Goan Chicken Xacuti recipe, July 2023

Goan Chicken Xacuti recipe, Sao Joao/San Juanv special

00:00 Goan Chicken Xacuti, Sao Joao special
00:13 Goan Chicken Xacuti Ingredients
01:17 Xacuti Masala Ingredients
01:54 Preparing the chicken
02:34 Making the Xacuti Masala
04:12 Making thick and thin coconut milk
05:18 Cooking the chicken xacuti

Ingredients:

-1 kilo chicken, cut in curry pieces and washed well
-1 whole coconut, grated (use half a cup to make the xacuti masala, and from the rest, extract thick and thin coconut milk)
-Two onions, sliced
-Garlic, about 10 cloves, chopped or crushed
-Salt, 1 teaspoon for marinating the chicken and 1 teaspoon or more or less to taste, to be added towards the end of cooking.
-Turmeric, i.e. saffron powder, about ½ teaspoon for marinating the chicken and scant ½ teaspoon for the xacuti masala
-Tamarind, two tablespoons of readymade paste, or pulp from one lime-sized ball of dried tamarind
-Oil, three tablespoons, since it’s a special occasion
-Fresh coriander leaves, chopped, for garnish

Xacuti masala ingredients:

-Grated coconut
-Coriander seeds, 1 teaspoon
-Cumin seeds, 1 teaspoon
-Mustard seeds, 1 teaspoon
-Poppy seeds, 1 teaspoon
-Cinnamon, 2 inches
-Cloves, 5
-Peppercorns, 15
-Bedgi/Byadgi chillies, 2
-Ginger 2 inches
-Green cardamoms, 5

Note: We use normal household teaspoons and tablespoons, not the measuring ones

Method:

-Wash 1 kilo of curry cut chicken very well.
-Lightly salt the chicken with 1 teaspoon of salt and an equal amount of turmeric/saffron powder. Mix this well into the chicken pieces and set aside to rest while making the xacuti masala.
-Start the xacuti masala by roasting half a cup of grated coconut on a low flame. Stir the coconut constantly so that it gets roasted evenly. Once it’s nice and brown, set it aside while roasting the whole spices
-Put the same pan back on a low flame and toast the chillies, mustard, poppy, coriander and cumin seeds, cinnamon sticks, peppercorns, cloves and a scant half teaspoon of turmeric powder, stirring constantly over a low flame, till they crisp up. You can also add green cardamom seeds if you prefer to add this at the masala stage. I add the cardamoms whole after adding the thin coconut milk.
-Grind the roasted spices along with the roasted coconut and fresh ginger into a smooth paste. Add water as needed to grind. We used about half a cup of coconut and ultimately nearly a cup of water to grind the masala. Your golden xacuti masala is ready
-Make thick and thin coconut milk with the remainder of the scraped coconut
-Slice the onions and crush the garlic
-Prepare tamarind paste
-Heat 2-3 tablespoons of oil and brown the onions and garlic
-Once the onions and garlic are nicely brown, fry the xacuti masala for about five minutes on medium to high flame. Keep stirring.
-When the masala is bubbling hot, add the chicken. Nicely mix the chicken with the masala. Chicken should be completely coated with the masala
-Cook, stirring, on high flame till the chicken has changed colour, about 5 minutes
-Turn the flame down and add the thin coconut milk. Stir, cover and cook on a low flame for about 15 minutes
-When the chicken is almost done, add the tamarind paste
-Once the chicken is fully cooked and tender, add thick coconut milk till you get the consistency you want. Note that, if cooking ahead of time, the chicken will absorb some of the gravy.
-Check salt and adjust
-Serve the xacuti garnished with chopped fresh coriander and some shredded coconut

Enjoy la vida Goa!

Music:
Megan Wofford / Simplicity, Minor Emotions, Fresh Perspective, Stepping Stones / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com

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