This chicken sukka recipe is a wonderful and aromatic dry preparation from the coastal regions of India, very commonly made in Mangalorean and Konkani cuisine. The word "sukka" literally means "dry"; it exactly describes this dish since it cooks the chicken along with flavourful masala until all the moisture has evaporated, leaving a thick spicy coating behind on the meat. The recipe for sukka chicken starts with marinated chicken cooked along with a combination of freshly roasted spices. These include coriander seeds, cumin, dry red chillies, and black pepper—all roasted to release their fragrant aroma and crushed to make the masala. Grated coconut, either dry or fresh, gives this particular dish a special texture and flavour. The base is formed by tempering ingredients—mustard seeds, curry leaves, onions, and so on—into very hot oil or ghee; garlic, ginger, and green chillies add depth and heat to the dish, and the marinated chicken is added and cooked until tender, then allowing the spice mixture to infuse into the meat. Towards the end, roasted coconut masala is mixed in to give the dish its iconic dry and flavourful texture. This easy chicken sukka recipe serves great with roti or naan, but you can also enjoy it over rice. It's often served with a cooling side of raita to temper the spiciness. So if you like a strong heat packed in your meal, this is a flavour of coastal India you'll want to savour.

• 1 kg chicken
• 8 tbsp ghee
• 1 cup onion
• 16-18 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 2 tbsp tamarind paste
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 coconut
• 3 tbsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp poppy seeds
• 1 cinnamon
• Black peppercorn
• Guntur red chilli

• Start with dry roasting the spices. Put a pan over a medium flame, then add the spices according to the list needed for dry roasting; these may include, for instance, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, peppercorns, or dried red chillies, although it is recipe-dependent.
• Dry roasting is such an essential technique that really unlocks the natural oils of the spice and thus amplifies the flavour. Roast them lightly till light brown and have a very fragrant aroma. Stir frequently so that they are not burnt.
• Transfer the spices to the plate, once done, and let them cool. It would be best if you let them cool so that they mix well and become a smooth powder in the next steps.
• Place ghee in a pan for ghee roasting. Ghee or clarified butter gives the dish that typical nutty flavour quintessential to most Indian dishes.
• Use the ingredients provided for ghee roasting in the hot ghee. You might need to use coconut, cashews, or any other ingredient as per the recipe.
• Do this on medium heat till they turn golden brown and give out a fragrant smell. The ingredients will infuse flavour into the sukka. Once done, transfer them to a plate and let them cool as well.
• Transfer cooled dry roasted ingredients to the blender or grinder once they are cooled. Grind these roasted spices into a smooth powder. Be cautious not to add any water at this stage; keeping the mixture dry ensures that flavours remain concentrated.
• The powder must be finely ground so that it mixes evenly into the sukka later.
• Once mixed, keep this spicy-dry roast mixture in a bowl. This spice dry roast will help taste the dish in the later stage of cooking.
• Add in the ghee-roasted ingredients to the blender. These should be ground to a smooth paste compared to the dry roasted spices.
• Use a little water during grinding to achieve a thick, smooth consistency.
• The ghee-roasted paste is what's going to add so much body to the sukka; it's thick and luscious. Let the paste sit ready, as it will be used later during the preparation of the chicken sukka.
• Now, let's make the base of chicken sukka.
• Heat 4 tablespoons of ghee in a big karahi or pan. Now when this ghee is hot enough, add finely cut onions and garlic there. Fry those until the onions become translucent. The ghee, onions, and garlic taste gives the base of the sukka. And they are to be fried up so that their juices come well and their flavour is established properly.
• Once the onions turn translucent, add the chicken pieces and fry them on high heat for 3-4 minutes. High heat sears the chicken so that juices remain inside and brown the outer edges lightly.
• Quickly frying it adds a lovely flavour to the chicken and prevents it from becoming too dry while it is getting cooked.
• Now add ghee-roasted masala paste prepared earlier after frying the chicken. Add about one cup of water to the pan to enable the paste to integrate with the chicken.
• Add salt to taste, cover the pan and let the chicken cook on low heat for 15-20 minutes. This way, the chicken will slowly absorb the flavours from the paste.
• Throughout this time, the sukka will thicken into a rich sauce as the masala paste gives away its goodness to the juices of the chicken.
• Then add the dry roasted masala powder when the chicken is almost cooked. Another layer of flavour and heat will be added to the dish. Sprinkle into the sukka and stir it well to make sure it is mixed well.
• Continue for another 10-12 minutes until the chicken is properly cooked, the masala thickens, and the dish becomes relatively dry. At this stage, the masala clings to the pieces of chicken.
• Add the tamarind extract and turmeric powder to the chicken. The tamarind adds a tangy note that balances out the richness of the ghee and spices used in this recipe.
• Cook the sukka for the remaining 3-4 minutes, allowing the tamarind and turmeric to infuse well with the dish.
• Finally, a small amount of ghee is heated in the pan and used as tempering.
• Chopped onions are put into the pan and fried until they are dark brown. It is at this final stage of tempering that the taste dish acquires a texture and explosion of flavours.
• Then fry until it becomes brown, then pour over the chicken sukka to finish the dish.
• Chicken sukka can be served hot over rice or bread. Roasted spices, ghee, tamarind, and slow-cooked chicken flavouring make this a masterpiece of complexity.