When I was doing my bachelors in Belgaum, I used to go to my mom’s sister’s – Pachi’s house almost every weekend. She cooks some of the tastiest dishes. I learnt many dishes from her when I started cooking, since her dishes are always simple. Most of the times, she cooks non vegetarian dishes on weekends.
One particular chicken dish that I loved was a simple chicken gravy – chicken rassa (rassa meaning gravy). It has few simple ingredients and is very tasty. It tastes great with chicken biryani. So when one of my readers asked me for the gravy served with biryani in Bangalore, I remembered this. Though the gravy served in these restaurants does not have any chicken pieces in it, the gravy tastes almost similar to this rassa. I tried getting this recipe from pachi, but I could not explain her which was the dish I was looking for since she makes so many different gravies. So I tried to reproduce the recipe from what she had told me long ago. It turned out to be just superb. This and biryani is a perfect combo for any weekend lunch.
Ingredients:
6-7 chicken pieces
3/4 cup chopped onions
1/4 cup chopped tomato
3/4 cup fresh/frozen coconut
3/4 cup yogurt/curd
1/2 tea spn poppy seeds(khus khus)
4-5 cloves
2″ cinnamon
1/2 tea spn coriander seeds
1 tea spn ginger-garlic paste
3-4 red chilies
3-4 coriander seeds
Oil
Salt
Method:
Heat a little oil and fry cloves, cinnamon, poppy seeds, coriander seeds, red chilies, 1/4 cup onion. When onion turns slightly brownish, add coconut and fry for sometime. Grind them.
Heat oil and fry remaining onions, ginger-garlic paste till they are slightly brownish. Add the tomato and fry till tomatoes become slightly tender. Now add chicken and paste, fry till oil separates.
Add well beaten yogurt, salt and cook till chicken is completely done. Add chopped coriander and cook for another 1-2mins.
Serve with biryani.
Serves : 3-4
Preparation time : 25mins
PS: This tastes better and better as time passes. So cook it atleast 2-3hrs before serving.
For better results, marinate the chicken pieces with yogurt and ginger-garlic paste for around 30mins.
Looks great Shilpa.This is how I make it too usually,tastes great.Enjoy the weekend:)
Shilpa, looks like this was the side dish I was looking for to go with Pulav (ofcourse, without chicken). I had requested for this recipe sometime back. Will try this and let U know if it tastes the same as I remember from my good old days… (from restaurants in B’lore).
Nice deep color there. I didn’t eat much of biryani back in Blore. Will try this one, on a weekend.
It looks lovely, Shilpa. Will try this gravy with paneer.i am sure it would work out well with paneer too.
With or without the chicken, the flavourings of this gravy sounds delightfully delicious.
Shilpa, have sent you an email. Please reply when you get a chance.
Shilpa, this is surly gone be in my to try list.will try this next time i make biryani.Thanks for sharing..
Just lovely.I was very much in search of this dish.Tried it out today with biryani.Came out very very tasty.
i am from belgaum this is gud n i tried it,but the typical kholapur tambda(red) rassa is excellent
I just love this rassa.Nice red coloured rassa.Just feel like relishing it.Thanks
I have bookmarked this.Yumm ilove any thing to do with chicken.Have been visiting your blog quite regularly.Tried all most all of the non-veg dishes.Tooooo good.Please post more fish recipes.Myself and my hubby love goan cuisines though we are tamilians.
Wow! chicken rassa.Makes me nostalgic.Good old days in india.We can never have biryani without the rassa right!.So atlast i found the rassa recipe.Thanks a lotta!Just tell me how did you get the deep red colour.Which chilly do you use.
bindu
Bindu, I use Byadagi chilies from Karnataka which are mild but give a beautiful red color.
Hi Shilpa,
Am an avid reader of all your delicious recipes. And this ones also as outstanding as the others.
This is also a typical Karwari chicken sunday special. My mom made it as heaven;s food. I suggest instead of the yoghurt u can also add coconut milk at the time simmering when the chicken is done. Also can add Javitri in the masala for frying n grinding.
Hi Shilpa
Thanks 4 the wonderful recipe.I was trying to make chicken 4 the first time ever,but thanks to your recipe it came out really well.Do u have any easy fish recipe?
Shilpa: Manjiri, please have a look at the fish section. There are few real easy recipes…
Hey I want to thankyou very much for this wonderful recipe. I have tried my hands at making chicken curry from various sites, but ur recipe is just the best. It always turns out great; u know since the day i first tried ur recipe i havent made chicken in another style, its really perfect, delicious, too good!
thanks a lot once again
I am writing this so that i can demand my royalty for publishing these recipes without my consent.
Shilpa: Ite ye tu..royalty dete tula :p
Hey Shilpa,
Hd made this rassa last weekend n everyone absolutely loved it ….. cant thank u enough …. ur recipes remind me so much of my mom that i almost feel like running back to india 🙁 …. anws with ur site the solace is that i can prepare our amchigele recipes ….. thanks again
Hey Shilpa,
I wanted to thank you for a great recipe. i tried it last weekend when i had guest over and everyone loved it. It was a instant success that i almost ran out,went perfect with biryani. I had cooked it a day ahead and it even tasted better the next day. thanks once again for this wonderful recipe.
Hey shilpa gravy tastes awsome
In restaurants in Dharwar they serve you something called a pushka which is basicalaly a flavoured rice without meat/veges. This curry would be just great with it. This is typical of restaurants run by Saoji/Pathegars in Hubli, Dharwar, Belgaum areas.