Chicken tomato roast

1. Marinate chicken pieces with ingredients listed under "for marination" and keep for 2 hrs.

2. Heat 2 tblpsn oil in a pan and add the chicken pieces.Saute well,cover and cook in low flame till the chicken is half cooked and the water that oozes out from the chicken completely dries up.Transfer the chicken pieces to another bowl.\

3. In the same pan add little more oil and add sliced onion.Saute till they turn golden brown.Then add ginger-garlic paste,green chilli paste,crushed shallots and curry leaves.Saute till the raw smell goes.Now add coriander powder,red chilli powder and garam masala.Saute till oil seperates.Then add in chopped tomatoes,mix well and cook till they become soft.

4. Add the chicken pieces to the masala and mix well.Then add thick coconut milk,sprinkle enough salt,cover and cook till the gravy becomes thick .Remove from fire and serve hot.

5. Notes:You can also deep fry /shallow fry the chicken pieces after marination and follow the same process for making masala.

6. While making garama masala for this dish,the quantity of fennel powder should be little more.I dry roasted 2 tspn fennel seeds,4cloves,2 cardamom and 1 very small piece of cinnamon and then made it a powder.