Chicken Kori Rotti | Mangalorean Chicken Curry
on Nov 25, 2015, Updated May 21, 2021
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Here is the best of Mangalore that is going to fill your tummy and heart! This Chicken Kori Rotti/ Mangalorean Chicken Curry is also known as Kori Gassi. It is creamy, spicy and the perfect curry for dinner. The roasted spices used in it bring out the best flavors that are really hard to resist!
I’m on a roll guys! Giving you one curry after another, so tell me when you get bored. And if you haven’t tried Mangalorean food yet, you are right in time! I won’t blame you because I hadn’t either, till I met Denver. And now I’m hooked. The first time I had kori rotti or kori gassi with rotti, I was expecting a light, coconutty curry, but man, this one’s so spicy and addictive.
And it’s unique. Because unlike everything else which is either had with rice or chapatis, there’s a special crispy rice rotti that the curry is spooned over. It’s messy messy business. And Denver and I literally pull our sleeves up and dig in. You take the rotti, crush it lightly on your plate and then pour all the curry over it. Let it sit for a minute (if you can wait that long) till you have both crispy bits and soggy bits and start eating. With your hands. No spoons allowed.
I can eat Mangalorean food EVERY day. The ghee roast is obviously sensational and I make a mean ghee roast (recipe coming up soon) and then there’s the fish fry which has the most amazing marinade and the sukkas which I sadly, haven’t mastered yet. So if any of you are Mangalorean and have a great chicken sukka recipe that you are willing to share, I’d be eternally grateful.
Denver gets so excited every time I make this. Like this morning, we had some with dosas (rice and lentil crepes) for breakfast. He ate more than his usual share, stopped when he was reaching for another dosa, looked at me and made the cutest puppy dog face. Because he couldn’t stop eating!
The best part about Mangalorean food is the masala or mixture that’s made with ground spices. And chances are, you probably have everything you need in stock already. I love how the kitchen smells when I’m roasting these spices, and the proportions work beautifully.
Top Tips to make the best Mangalorean Kori Rotti / Kori Gassi with Rotti
- Spices: Roasting the dry spices helps bring out their oil and aroma. Make sure to dry roast them on a low flame while stirring regularly to prevent them from burning.
- Turmeric: I love using a piece of whole dried turmeric in the masala for a powerful colour and mixture, but if you don’t have access to it, substitute with 3/4 teaspoon Turmeric powder
- Chicken: Buy pre-cut ‘curry cut chicken’. The optimum size is 1.5 inches. Bigger pieces will take longer to cook. Bone in curry cut chicken ensures that the chicken remains juicy and doesn’t dry out while cooking
- Rotti: I’ve only ever used store-bought rotti that’s available at Mangalore stores. The process of making your own rottis is skilled with a lot of technique required.
If you don’t have access to Rotti, try this with rice. You’ll be missing out on the experience but you can’t miss this chicken kori rotti! I’m already looking forward to dinner, because there’s leftovers 😉
Try this with Mangalorean Fish Fry
More Recipes from Coastal India:
Watch the Video
Chicken Kori Rotti | Mangalorean Chicken Curry
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade
- 1 kg Chicken, Curry Cut
- 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
Masala
- 2 tablespoons Ghee
- 2 Onion, Large , sliced
- 3/4 cup Coconut, Grated
- 1 piece Tamarind, Lime sized ball
- 1/2 inch Turmeric, whole (See Note 1)
- 1 tablespoon Coriander Seeds, Whole Dhaniya seeds
- 1 teaspoon Peppercorns, Kali Mirch
- 1/2 teaspoon Fenugreek, Methi seeds
- 1 teaspoon Cumin, Jeera seeds
- 1 pod Garlic , peeled (See Note 2)
- 8 Salem Gundu Dry Red Chillies, small round red (spicy variety)
- 12 Kashmiri Dry Red Chillies, wrinkeld red (more colour, less spice)
- 1 – 1 1/2 cups Water
Curry
- 3/4 cup Coconut Milk, thin (See Note 3)
- 1/2 cup Coconut Milk, thick
- Salt to taste
- Curry Leaves, optional
Instructions
Chicken Marinade
- Start the prep with the chicken marinade. Combine chicken pieces, turmeric powder and salt. Keep aside and allow to marinate.
Masala
- In a pan, heat a tablespoon of ghee and add one sliced onion, grated coconut, tamarind and turmeric. Fry for 8-10 minutes till the coconut and onions start turning slightly brown and toasty.
- In another pan, dry roast coriander, pepper, fenugreek, cumin, garlic and both types of chilies, till you get a slightly sweetish, spicy smell. This should take about 5 minutes. Be careful to roast on a low flame so as not to burn the spices.
- Once cooled, grind both, the coconut mixture and the spice mixture together, with about 1 cup of water into a smooth paste. Add more water if necessary.
Curry
- In a large pot, pour the ground masala or mixture, add thin coconut milk and the remaining sliced onions. Bring this to a boil and add the chicken pieces and salt.
- Simmer the curry till chicken is cooked (this takes about 35-40 mins). Mix in the thick coconut milk. Stir once and switch off the flame. Top with a tablespoon of ghee and serve hot with rottis, rice and mangaloreanfish fry.
Video
Notes
- If you don’t have whole turmeric, substitute with 3/4 teaspoon turmeric powder.
- If you are using pre-peeled garlic, use 10 – 12 cloves
- Most packaged coconut milk is first pressing or thick coconut milk. To make thin coconut milk from it, add half water and half coconut milk for one cup thin coconut milk.
This is such an easy and tasty recipe. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe.
Yaay! so so glad you liked the recipe Rhea. Thanks.
Hi….trying this out later today. please would you tell me the approx. weight of the onions used. the size of the onions here in the US are huge….and it may change the flavor of the curry. please advise. Thank you
Hi Dez, you may use approx. 200-220 gms onions in this recipe. Thanks.
Came out so good!!!Thanks for the recipe.
Awesome! Thank you for your comment, Ppai
Hi, I absolutely loved your recipe! it’s easy and flavourful. However, its a bit too spicy for my taste. To balance the heat, I added extra coconut milk, but it didn’t quite work. I also tried adding a pinch or two of jaggery, but that didn’t help much either. Do you have any suggestions on how to reduce the spiciness without altering the flavors too much? Thanks in advance!
Hi Ankita, you can use 4 of Salem Gundu Dry Red Chillies (instead of 8), as it’s the spicy variety. also use 8 Kashmiri Dry Red Chillies instead of 12. This should reduce the spiciness. please leave a comment if you try it out.
nicely explained . thanks for the recipie. can u suggest some more mangalore style foods please
Hey Uday, I have many mangalorean recipes on my blog. Do leave a comment if you give a try.
I really enjoyed the recipe but the comment on the Bajaj mixie grinder was over the top and not appreciated. We, cooking fraternity are well aware as to what we need to use. However , your recipe sounds good.
I have no idea what you are talking about. Sorry but I can’t see any reference to a bajaj mixie in the post
excellent..wish you didn’t put ads…but understand
Thank you for your understanding. Its what helps me provide free content to you.
Absolutely love this recipe and make it often for parties. Thank you so much.
Maureen from Houston TX
woww this is great!!
can we use dessicated coconut for this curry
I highly recommend using fresh grated coconut. Dessicated will change the flavour.
If you can’t find freshly grated coconut, most grocery stores sell grated coconut in their freezer section which is as good as fresh!