Deeply seasoned Chettinad pepper hen curry is a fiery, one-pot South Indian curry with this wonderful sauce seasoned with fennel, cardamom, cinnamon, and loads of black pepper. You’ll be able to regulate the warmth to desire, in case you don’t need it tremendous scorching.

It is a tremendous scrumptious, peppery Chikin curry. I’m making mine with tofu, however you should utilize seitan, soy curls, chickpeas, different beans, chickpea tofu, pumpkin seed tofu, and even roasted greens. There’s a ton of taste within the sauce and the marinade and all of that elevates the dish.
Chettinad delicacies is from one of many southern states of India, and it’s from a area throughout the state of Tamil Nadu. There are a number of cuisines throughout the Indian state cuisines as effectively. Typically there are even cuisines which can be particular to a metropolis, so there are many variations and completely different cuisines in India, and lots of have their very own units of spice blends, strategies, substances and spices that they use.

On this recipe, we’re utilizing fennel seeds, cardamom, cinnamon, and plenty of black pepper to make this wonderful taste profile that makes a unbelievable curry. If you would like the curry to be creamier, you may add some coconut milk or non dairy yogurt to it. That will even assist to tone down the warmth, in case you like.
To scale back the warmth additional, you may omit the cayenne from the marinade, in addition to scale back the black pepper and pink chili or pepper flakes.

Why You’ll Love Chettinad Pepper Hen
- one-pot Indian curry with wonderful, peppery taste!
- versatile: select your favourite plant-based protein or make it with roasted greens
- regulate the warmth to your desire
- naturally gluten-free and nut-free with straightforward soy-free choice

Extra South Indian Curries
For the Sauce
- 2 teaspoons oil
- 1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 2 inexperienced cardamom pods, opened barely
- 2″ cinnamon stick
- 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
- 1 dried pink chili, such a cayenne or use Kashmiri chili for much less warmth, or 1/2 teaspoon pepper flakes. omit for much less warmth
- 10 curry leaves, contemporary, frozen or dried
- 2 tablespoons ginger garlic paste, or use 4 cloves of garlic, minced, and 1” of ginger, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup chopped tomato
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup water, or extra if wanted, or use a mixture of water and coconut milk/ non dairy cream
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- cilantro and extra lime juice, for garnish
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Cook dinner the tofu.
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Press and tear the tofu, if you have not already, and add to a bowl. Add the yogurt and toss effectively to coat.
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In a small bowl, add the entire spices below spice combine, and blend rather well. Reserve a teaspoon of this spice combine so as to add to the sauce, then add the remainder of the spice combine to the tofu, and toss effectively to coat. Now you may bake the tofu or pan fry it. To bake, add two teaspoons of oil to the combination, and toss effectively once more. Unfold this onto parchment-lined baking sheet, and bake at 400° F (205° C) for 20 to 25 minutes. To pan fry, warmth the two teaspoons of oil on a skillet over medium excessive warmth. When the oil is scorching, add the tofu to the skillet and prepare dinner, flipping each 2 to three minutes or so, for about 8 minutes. The tofu is prepared when many of the edges are good and golden. Take away the tofu from the pan, and set it apart when you make the sauce.
Make the Chettinad pepper sauce.
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Warmth the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil in the identical skillet over medium warmth. As soon as oil is scorching, add the fennel seeds and prepare dinner for 15 seconds or so, or till the fennel seeds begin altering shade. Then, add the inexperienced cardamom and cinnamon stick and blend in. Cook dinner for one more 10seconds, till the cinnamon stick will get aromatic, and the fennel seeds have began to alter the colour considerably. Now, combine within the onion and pinch of the salt. Cook dinner for two minutes, then combine within the curry leaves and the dried pink chili or chili flakes, and prepare dinner till the onion is beginning to flip golden. Add splashes of water in between to assist the onion prepare dinner evenly, 5 to 7 minutes.
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Then combine within the black pepper and the reserved spice combine from the marinade. Combine within the ginger garlic paste and a splash of water. (In case you’re utilizing minced ginger and garlic, prepare dinner the combination for one more minute or so.) Add within the tomato, the remaining salt, and a splash of water and blend and prepare dinner till the tomatoes are jammy. Press the bigger items of tomato, in order that they flip jammy, as effectively, 3 to five minutes. After which add within the 1 cup of water and lime juice, combine in, and produce to a boil.
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Fold your crisped up tofu into the sauce, then cowl and let it simmer for one more 3 to five minutes. For creamier, add in 3 tablespoons coconut cream, or non dairy yogurt. Change off the warmth, and garnish with cilantro and extra lime juice, if wanted, and serve with some naan, dosa, or rice.
To make this soy-free, use seitan, pumpkin seed tofu, chickpea tofu, or a soy-free vegan hen substitute. You can too use chickpeas, different beans, or roasted greens as a substitute of the tofu. In case you use chickpeas or beans, you don’t have to marinate, however then use the entire marinade combination, including it into the sauce if you add the tomato.
Energy: 154kcal, Carbohydrates: 13g, Protein: 10g, Fats: 7g, Saturated Fats: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fats: 3g, Monounsaturated Fats: 3g, Sodium: 453mg, Potassium: 244mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 560IU, Vitamin C: 64mg, Calcium: 195mg, Iron: 2mg
Diet info is robotically calculated, so ought to solely be used as an approximation.

Substances and Substitutions
- tofu – Use agency or additional agency tofu, and press it for quarter-hour, then tear into 3/4″ natural items.
- non-dairy yogurt – To coat the tofu.
- floor spices – For the Chettinad hen spice combine, you’ll use black pepper, coriander, floor fennel seed, cayenne or Kashmiri chili powder, and salt. For the sauce, you’ll want extra black pepper and salt.
- oil – To sauté.
- entire spices – For the sauce, you begin with a complete spice layer: fennel seeds, inexperienced cardamom, a cinnamon stick, and curry leaves.
- aromatics – You’ll brown some onion and use ginger garlic paste or minced ginger and garlic within the sauce.
- dried pink chili – You should utilize cayenne or a Kashmiri chili. The latter will make the dish much less spicy.
- tomato – Provides umami and moisture to the sauce.
- lime juice – For tang within the sauce.
- garnishes – You’ll prime the completed curry with extra lime juice and a few contemporary cilantro.
💡 Ideas
- When roasting the entire spices, ensure to stir continuously to stop burning.
- Including splashes of water when you sauté the onion will assist it brown evenly with out sticking to the pan.
- When cooking down the tomato, you need them to have a very nice, jammy texture earlier than shifting on. Urgent the bigger items, so that they have extra floor space uncovered to the warmth, will help them get to that consistency quicker.
The right way to Make Chettinad Pepper Hen Curry
Press and tear the tofu, in case you haven’t already, and add to a bowl. Add the yogurt and toss effectively to coat. In a small bowl, add the entire spices and blend rather well. Reserve a teaspoon of this spice combine so as to add to the sauce, then add the remainder of the spice combine to the tofu, and toss effectively to coat. Now you may bake the tofu or pan fry it.
To bake, add two teaspoons of oil to the combination, and toss effectively once more. Unfold this onto parchment-lined baking sheet, and bake at 400° F (205° C) for 20 to 25 minutes. To pan fry, warmth the two teaspoons of oil on a skillet over medium excessive warmth. When the oil is scorching, add the tofu to the skillet and prepare dinner, flipping each 2 to three minutes or so, for about 8 minutes. The tofu is prepared when many of the edges are good and golden. Take away the tofu from the pan, and set it apart when you make the sauce.
Warmth the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil in the identical skillet over medium warmth. As soon as oil is scorching, add the fennel seeds and prepare dinner for 15 seconds or so, or till the fennel seeds begin altering shade. Then, add the inexperienced cardamom and cinnamon stick and blend in. Cook dinner for one more 15 seconds, till the cinnamon stick will get aromatic, and the fennel seeds have began to alter the colour considerably. Now, combine within the onion and pinch of the salt.
Cook dinner for two minutes, then combine within the curry leaves and the dried pink chili or chili flakes, combine and prepare dinner till the onion is beginning to flip golden. Add splashes of water in between to assist the onion prepare dinner evenly. 5 to 7 minutes. Then combine within the black pepper and the reserved spice combine . Combine within the ginger garlic paste and a splash of water. (In case you’re utilizing minced ginger and garlic, prepare dinner the combination for one more minute or so.)
Add within the tomato, the remaining salt, and a splash of water and blend and prepare dinner till the tomatoes are jammy. Press the bigger items of tomato, in order that they flip jammy, as effectively, 3 to five minutes. After which add within the 1 cup of water and lime juice, combine in, and produce to a boil.
Fold your crisped up tofu into the sauce, then cowl and let it simmer for one more 3 to five minutes. For creamier, fold in 3-4 tablespoons of coconut cream or non dairy yogurt. Change off the warmth, and garnish with cilantro and extra lime juice, if wanted, and serve with some naan, dosa, or rice.
What to Serve with Chettinad Pepper Hen
Serve this with naan, dosa, or rice.
Regularly Requested Questions
This recipe is of course nut-free and gluten-free.
To make this soy-free, use seitan, pumpkin seed tofu, chickpea tofu, or a soy-free vegan hen substitute. You can too use chickpeas, different beans, or roasted greens as a substitute of the tofu. In case you use chickpeas or beans, you don’t have to marinate, however then use the entire marinade combination, including it into the sauce if you add the tomato.