Chettinad-Style Chicken - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 1/4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized chunks
1 teaspoon turmeric
salt to taste
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons poppy seeds
2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
2 teaspoons fennel seed
2 teaspoons coriander seed
1 teaspoon cumin seed
3 large onions, minced
4 green chile peppers, chopped
2 sprigs fresh curry leaves
1 tablespoon ginger paste
1 teaspoon garlic paste
1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes
1/2 cup water

Preparation

Rub the chicken pieces with the turmeric and salt. Set aside.
Heat the oil in a large skillet or kadhai over medium heat. Fry the poppy seeds, peppercorns, fennel seed, coriander seed, and cumin seed in the hot oil until they just begin to change color; remove from the skillet, keeping the oil in the skillet. Grind the spice mixture with a mortar and pestle and set aside.
Add the onion, green chile peppers, curry leaves, ginger paste, and garlic paste to the remaining oil; cook until the onions are golden brown, 7 to 10 minutes. Stir the tomatoes and ground spices into the mixture; cook until the tomatoes are softened. Add the chicken. Season with salt and simmer for 5 minutes. Pour the water over the mixture, cover, and cook until the chicken is no longer pink in the middle and the juices run clear, about 30 minutes. Serve hot.