‘Chicken Rassa‘ is a classic homestyle recipe, from west coast of Maharashtra. This is my mum’s recipe; she often cooked it for the family. ‘Rassa’ in our language means gravy, and here it is prepared with combination of spices and onion-coconut paste. Onions and coconut are roasted together to enhance their flavours and ground into thick-fine paste. This paste adds sweetness and earthy notes to the gravy. And when chicken is cooked along this paste and spices, makes an aromatic & flavourful dish. Serve it with stack of chapati’s and hot plain steamed rice.

In this post, I have shared step by step recipe of ‘Chicken Rassa’. It is super easy and perfect for weeknight dinner. The onion-coconut paste if needed, can be prepared in advance and freezed. Just thaw and then use in recipe; makes life much easier. Chicken rassa will be ready in 30 minutes (seriously 😋).

This is one of my favourite dish and I often make it when I crave for some comfort food. I love to enjoy it with steamed rice, salad and a squeeze of lime 😊.

Ingredients:

500 gms Chicken (curry cuts)

2 Large Onions

1/3 cup grated coconut

2 tbsp ginger garlic paste

4 tbsp oil

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1&1/2 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp kashmiri red chilli powder

1 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp garam masala/ chicken masala

Salt as per taste

Water

Method:

Marinate the chicken with 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste and turmeric. Keep it aside, allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes.

Next, we’ll prepare coconut and onion paste.

Heat the pan over high heat and add 2 tbsp oil into it.

Once oil is hot, add roughly chopped 1 large onion into it. Keep stirring occasionally until onions turns translucent.

Next, add freshly grated coconut into it. Stir the mixture continuously till coconut turns brown. Take pan off the heat and let it cool to room temperature.

Grind this mixture into fine thick paste.

Take a wok/pan over medium-high heat.

Once pan is hot, add 2 tbsp of oil to it. Add 1 finely chopped large onion to hot oil.

Gently fry onions for 5 minutes or so. Next, add remaining ginger-garlic paste into the pan.

Stir occasionally and tip in dry spices except garam masala into the pan.

Fry spices until it’s raw smell goes off. Deglaze the pan with 2-4 tbsp of water.

Once onions starts changing the colour, add marinated chicken into it.

Season with salt.

Mix everything and let it cook on medium heat.

When chicken is 40-50% cooked, add coconut-onion paste into pan.

Also, add around 1 cup of water to the pan, cover and allow it to cook.

Once oil starts separating out and chicken is cooked, add chopped coriander.

Stir in the garam masala and simmer for another 5 minutes.

Adjust the thickness of gravy as per choice. Typically rassa is semi thick and not a thick gravy.

Turn off the heat and sprinkle more coriander over the top, if liked.

Chicken rassa is ready to serve, enjoy it with rice or your favourite bread and lime wedges for squeezing over. This chicken rassa, also tastes delicious with bhakri (which is type of Indian flatbread).

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