First of all, let me be very clear. This is NOT THE AUTHENTIC RECIPE of this delicious dish. Since I have been getting a lot of requests for this recipe, I wanted to give it a try. Now, on to some background.
As I have mentioned before, my brother is a big foodie. He lives in Bangalore and he knows a lot about restaurants and their specialty there. I sometimes wonder how he gathers all the information.Because of him, I could get to know different types of restaurants/cuisines in Bangalore. This time when we visited India, he took us to a restaurant called “Coast to Coast”. He had all praises for this restaurant. He told us that the specialty of that place is the ‘Chicken ghee roast’. I went there half heartedly as I wanted to eat my favorite chicken hariyali – most of the restaurants in Bangalore serve this and I am a huge fan.
Anyway, V and I became instant fans of the ‘ghee roast’. As the name suggests, the prominent taste of this dish comes from the ghee :). You can taste the ghee in every bite. It is very spicy but just out of this world. He took us there once more, along with my parents and pachi(mom’s sister) before we returned to the US. This time around, the focus was to figure out the ingredients. Pachi guessed fenugreek seeds and probably coriander seeds.
After coming back, I got many requests for this dish. When I searched over the internet, I could gather following information:
-This is a Mangalore specialty.
– As this article says – It can’t be eaten everyday,†says the chef, with understatement, “but once in a while its great.â€
They also mention, cinnamon is used in this. But I did not use it. I used normal skinless, boneless chicken for my version, but the article says, for best results, we have to use chicken with skin on.
When I googled, I got couple of recipes, but I stuck to what pachi had guessed. This requires loads of ghee to get the real taste, so you can’t eat this frequently. But I convinced myself saying – if I had made a pastry or a cake, I would have used loads of butter anyway, so whats wrong in indulging once in a while?. It is totally worth trying this.
Verdict – Just out of this world, awesome. I had no hopes that this would turn out so good. I could not believe when I tasted this. I don’t remember if it is exactly same as the restaurant version, but was very very good. The leftovers were better tasting than the freshly made version.
If you want to make it less in calorie, you can leave out or reduce ghee, but then it won’t be ghee roast anymore because that is the main ingredient for this recipe.
Updated on March 12 2010 : According to Lakshmi Shetty’s comment below – Ghee roast is not a Mangalore specialty, it’s been originally tried by late owners of the restaurant called †Shetty lunch home †in Kundapur(a part of Udupi).
Ingredients:
1 lb chicken
2 tbl spn chilli powder
1 tbl spn coriander seeds
1/4 tea spn fenugreek seeds
1/4 tea spn tamarind extract
1 tea spn chopped ginger
1 tea spn chopped garlic
1 and 1/2 tbl spn ghee
Salt
I added all the spices by “andaaz“. So increase or decrease them according to individual taste. The chilli powder I used was not very hot but gives a nice color. The ghee quantity can be increased by another 1 and 1/2 tbl spn for better ghee taste and flavor.
Method:
Make a paste of coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, ginger, garlic, tamarind, chilli powder, ghee, salt. Do not add too much water, if needed, just add few drops.
Apply this paste to chicken pieces and keep it refrigerated for about 4-5hrs.
In a pan, heat a little more ghee and add the chicken along with all the masala. Fry till chicken is done. Serve hot.
Serves : 2
Preparation time : 20mins (plus marination time)
slurrrp… it looks sooo good Shilpa!
it looks yummm…..
I am starting to want to taste this dish just by the way you describe it. Love the color.
Shilpa..LOL@disclaimer, line 1 itself??? 😀 Btw, the dish is new to me, looks truly yummyyyyyyyy in pic n description makes me drool! Shall try out ur version!
Shilpa, you should have tasted the fish too from that restaurant. You would have come with the same verdict 🙂
Shilpa: Yes, we tasted fish too. It was great. Also chicken hariyali was good. Everything that we tasted that day was great. Including neer dosa and Fish curry.
Looks really yummy and i like the steel serving dish too.. the picture is just perfect it can make anyone’s mouth water
Will visit Coast to Coast next time i visit Blore
This is a Great Site and I dont call my Aayi for recipes anymore…Keep up the good work
Wow, looks very delicious. Now I need to ask you where in B’lore is this restaurant..
Shilpa: Maya, the address is # 113, 6th Cross, 6th Block, Koramangala, Bangalore
I am not sure if they still maintain the quality, but when we ate there, it was superb.
This restaurant has a branch in MG Road too. And heard that the taste in MG Road branch is better than Kormangala branch
Hi Shilpa
this recipe sounds very interesting and I will definitely try it . however , the amount of ghee mentioned is only 1 and 1/2 tbsp which does not seem like a lot
L K
Shilpa: LK, you can increase it if you feel it is not too much. I was a bit skeptic about adding so much ghee. Also it is just 1lb chicken I used :).
Shilpa, I must admit the dishes u tasted there and mentioned in this section of “Coast to Coast” took me down the memory lane ! Next time try “Mangalore Pearl” in Frazer Town…Another place…you MUST try and take pachi too. So you can post some recipes here 🙂
Maya, this is if you are living in Bangalore. The restaurant is exactly opposite to the Koramangala Club.
hi shilpha,
thanks a lot for posting this recipe….i remember the ghee roast of “Hotel Abhiman” in mlore which is famous for this cuisine……
It looks and sounds beautiful, but such a sassy dish! 🙂 I once made a dish (I think Moghlai) called murgh mussallam– it is very similar…and yeah, not for everyday!!! 😉
Shilpa: I will have to search for that recipe now 🙂
BTW: I love that steel dish!
Shilpa: Me too :). Aayi loves these copper bottom vessels. There was a time she used to collect them. This time when I went to India, I took some from her collection :).
I have to try this when i have some visitors. One question, is boneless chicken used? What should i buy, Boneless thigh fillets, or drumsticks or anything specific.
I believe the qty of ghee is perfect for a pound of chicken.
Shilpa: Aruna, nothing specific. I used boneless chicken breasts as thats the one I normally use for my cooking (V does not eat chicken with bones). I have seen a type here in grocery stores with skin and with bones. If your husband is okay with chicken with bones, I suggest you try with that.
Hi shilpa….. It looks really yummy!!! I will try it soon!!!! You should also taste the crab ghree roast here.. its amazing!!!!
Hi Shipla.
i would like to know after refrigerating chicken for 4 to 5 hrs, should i keep the chicken out to get it normal or just fry it after taking it out immediately.
Regards,
Smita
Shilpa: Smita, before cooking any refrigerated dish, you should allow it to come to normal temperature. That way you save gas/energy. Same for this dish also.
Hey Shilpa,
Chic Ghee Roast is my all time favourite….you get the same dish in Nadhini Restaurants in Bangalore but they have a dash of Andhra style to it….your ghee Roast looks delicious.
Hi Shilpa-
This one looked so easy, I gave it a try. Very nice! Thanks for another easy, delicious recipe.
Mike Nayak
oh i LOVE ghee roast! will try this immd!!! amazing ghee roast at coast to coast, anupam coastal express (near shivananda stores), and the best at kanua (off sarjapur road near wipro corp office). also at kudla (next to woodlands hotel). i have always wanted to look for the recipe but never got around to it! thanks!
d
hi shilpa. ghee roast is one of my faves too. i make a paste of chilli powder, salt peppercorns, garlic and ajwain(most imp). apply to the chic along with 1/2 cup of water and the juice of 1 lime. marinate for 4-5 hrs in the fridge.
cover and cook the chic in its own juices. when half done add a generous amount of ghee and cook uncovered stirring periodically to roast the masala. yuuuuuum
Hi Shilpa,
This is the very first recipe to which I am responding. I am sure this chicken dish is going to turn out to be fantastic. Thankyou for the recipe I have been looking for a long time.
Sonu
Hi Shilpa,
This dish has got a fantastic color ! Which chili powder did you use?
Thanks,
Sonia
Shilpa: I think it is Byadagi chilli powder, I brought it from India.
Shilpa, that looks absolutely delish…love the colour. And that is one great picture 🙂
I made this today, exactly as mentioned by you. Hubby said that he liked this Konkani version of Chicken very much. Make it often. Thanks Shilpa and also a big thanks to paachi for the guessing the ingredients.
Tried it and it turned out pretty well…it could have been more spicy though….but overall it tasted good. I served it on a bed of sauted finely shredded cabbage. Husband was impressed by the presentation of it too 🙂 Thanks for the recipe.
Hey shilpa
the recipe looks awesome. will try it as soon as school gets over 🙂
BTW now that you have mentioned “chicken hariyali” is your favorite dish, do you have a recipe for that too?
can you please share that one?
Shilpa: Ketaki, I had got the recipe from a relative who used to own a Kabab center in B’lore. I don’t remember the exact steps, but I will surely try it once again and will post it.
Shilpa
I really can imagine how great the taste of this recipe is 🙂 – I am a pure vegetarian so never tasted it but I cook for others and so did I cook this for my wife (she eats it once in a while) and friends. I did not substitute anything but my reason to post here was the trick I use to save calories and not compromising on taste. I use cinnamon too in my recipe and use lime juice instead of tamarind. But when I start frying the chicken I first roast it on high flame with little ghee in the pan and then transfer it to the oven at 350 degs F for 10-12 mins. (depends on your oven). Then I brush it or you can drizzle it with little ghee on top if you have more gravy.
Hi Shilpa,
I am going to try this recipe of Chicken ghee roast over the weekend. It looks so delicious. One query how much is 1 lb is it 1 kg. Please reply and give me the measurement in Indian weight.
Vanessa
Dear Shilpa, First off, My love & regards to your family, especially Aayi!! Now for the Ghee Roast Recipe, I tried &tested the recipe..VERDICT: AMAZING! Everyone at home loved it. I must admit I tweaked the recipe a bit,because I wasn’t sure about making the paste so I dry roasted both coriander seeds & fenugreek seeds, then cooled & powdered it, end result was fantastic. Thanks to your brother for taking you to “coast to coast & most importantly thanks to you for taking the time to share your experience & recipes with your blog readers.
Regards from Windycity..;0)
Sapna
For Vanessa
2.2 Lbs is 1 kg chicken
or 450 gms is 1 Lbs (pound)
http://www.convertunits.com/from/pound/to/kilogram
WOW !!! Good Job…… Even I’m a great fan of Chicken Ghee Roast of “Coast 2 Coast”. One of my Mangalore friend introduced me to this restaurant and I became an instant fan. I have also tasted fish with similar Ghee roast taste. My mom was looking for the recipe. Thanks a lot for this wonderful recipe.
To Maya: Coast 2 Coast restaurant which I have visited is located in MG Road, Bangalore.
Shilpa, I made this ghee roast with 2 T ghee, came out so well, my kids also enjoyed the tender n tasteful chicken, i mixed the post-roasted ghee with kiddos rice n tasted a spoon of it, that too was tasting wonderful!
All in all was a lovely treat, Hub too found it extremely good! THANKYOU so much! (i added methi n pinch of pepper too)
Hi Shilpa, I’m a big fan of your recipes, especially your date cake. Your Chicken Ghee roast recipe looks very promising and I want to try it, however can you please tell me how much cooking time will be required if I use chicken with bones? Also how much is 1 lb in kilo?
Hi Shilpa,
I made this Chicken Ghee Roast last sunday. I exactly followed ur instructions and it came well. The taste was also yummy. Thank u for giving such a good recipe.
Very very Yummmmmmmyyyyyyyy…and very simple recipe
Just came across this site and have tried a couple of recipes. Great site! Thank you.
I can’t wait to try your chicken ghee roast today.
Hi… We happened to visit Coast to Coast yesterday and fell instantly in love with the food there and the Chicken Ghee Roast topped the list. So today I set about trying to find the recipe for it and came across your site… Will try it out soon…
Shilpa, you say coriander seeds in many of your recipes. Do they have to be seeds or can I use coriander powder?
Wera
Shilpa: Wera, there will be difference in taste if you use powder. Fresh coriander seed powder and the store bought one has lot of difference.
This dish is a truly GOD SEND for all chicken lovers.i used to travel from Udupi to Kundapur just to have this!!!!! now they have veg variety in this, GOBI GHEE ROAST !!!!!! Never tried GOBI GHEE ROAST but will surely do when i go to india next time!!!!. Thanks for the recipe…cheers.
hi, made this today. it was yum. thanks shilpa!
yummy
i wonder how wud chicken hold the masalas while frying in GHEE.! if u can expalin, please do so. thanks
dont u think shilpa has copied chicken ghee roast from mangalorean recipes
Shilpa: Please read in the post, how I came about trying this dish. I am just trying to share, what I have tried. It has not been copied from any website or book
i used chillies instead of chilli pwd & it tasted very good
Hey there . This dish is really good i have almost every month. Yummy . And thanks for the reciepe i needed it a lot
Yep.. I am a mangalorean and this dish is from that place.. Fish gheeo.. roast is awesome too 🙂
Do try the Kubays restaurant.. Its just next to coast to coast in koramangala 6th block.. Thats a homely mangalorean foodie place 🙂
Hey shilpa..I think your brother is my cousin’s neighbour in Blore ..somethign like that..I heard about ur site from my mom & then she told me about how my cousin knows about you
Anyways …I have been to Coast to coast ..but let me tell you..You have to try the Ghee roast in Anupam, Mangalore.Nothign beats that ..Am waiting to try out your recipe..yI am addicted to this site now ..
The chicken is really good, am a manglorean but my mom never made this,
I eat this very often and am really happy to know the recipe,
Thx a ton Shilpa
aaahh shilpa!!!!! pls stop iiiiiiiittttt shilpaaaaa!
Hi Shilpa,
Wow!!!! Chic in Ghee. Slurp!!!!!!!! I love Ghee roast. My wife loves Ghee roast more than me :(. Her favorite place to have this is at Hotel Maharaja in Mangalore. We make it a point that to have it when we visit Mangalore. I am cooking this out today for her. Hope this comes out good and she likes it. Will keep you updated on the result. Jai Konkani :).
Regards,
Chetan Bhat C
Thanks….for the recipe…..was a big fan of chicken ghee roast during college times in mangalore……very happy that i could replicate and didn t realise it was really this simple….
had a fantastic sunday night dinner with mouth and eyes watering
1lb chicken meance 1kg
Shilpa: 1lb = 0.45kg
judgin by the looks its great, but has anyone every tried it
Vegetarians can try paneer instead of chicken and make Paneer ghee roast.Even this too is just out of this world… 🙂
Your website recipies look fabulous! I tried out your recipie on Chettinadu curry leaves chicken fry and the Madurai style chicken curry with raitha, boiled eggs and ghee rice last night.. everyone just loved it! 🙂
I feel that this chicken ghee roast would taste better if curry leaves, sliced onions and a few slit green chillies are added to the oil just before frying the chicken.. personal taste 🙂
hi shilpa,ayi’s recepies is a boon to we newly married gals…thank u so much…i hav read that ur ayi is frm sirsi,even i am from sirsi…i try most of the recepies frm your site,but never lefty a reply…today i tried ghee roast n it turned out to be a dry item..i thought it would b gravy…could u plz tell me what would’ve been the problem?
Its a dry item Rashmi. Its not gravy.
I made this dish today.It tastes great.Thank you very much for posting this recipe.
could anyone please tell
what is fenugreek seeds?
Methi seeds
Hey shilpa,
I had been to coast II coast this weekend. wow ghee roast was yummy. neer dosa was superb…
Coondapur style Chicken Ghee Roast, Mangalore
Kumar International
How to prepare the famous Kundapur style Chicken Ghee Roast. (Originated in Kundapur near udupi)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4pUyvD2
See the original
The guys got branch in Bangalore as well
Lakshmi
London
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4pUyvD2EF4
Sorry the other youtube link is corrupted
Please try this instead!
Checked with Youtube, but it is private.
I was a fan of Ghee Roast after having relished on it at the hotels in Mangalore.Was looking for a recipe to try it and finally gave it a shot.It was indeed marvelous on the first trial.
Hey…thanks a ton…will try it today…a little twist though…i am trying prawn ghee roast 🙂
And for fans of ghee roast in bangalore, try coastal express too in malleshwaram…its as good as coast 2 coast, with a big big plus….there is a bar on the 1st flr!
Ghee roast plus whisky in an amazing experience.
Cheers!!!
Hi,
one of my friends in the US happened to send me this link, which had some reviews about our restaurant and our signature dish.
i thank you for recommending our restaurant. Ghee roast is not a managalore specialty its been originally tried by late owners of the restaurant called ” Shetty lunch home ” in Kundapur.( a part of managalore ).also any scope for improvement on our other dishes?.
Shilpa: I am so delighted to see your comment here Lakshmi. Thanks for the clarification, I will add it to the post above. I visited your restaurant 2 years ago and I loved everything that I tasted there. We will definitely visit again when we come to India next time
I have tried a few things from your website and they have turned out grr8 so far…my in-laws are Konkani and I am Marathi…so my mom-in-law is really happy that I cook their food and cook it their way…thanks for the recipes! I will try this one as well very soon…
I like the chicken ghee roast also i tried it with egg,prawn etc..thanks 4 the recipe.
I have tried a few receipes from your website and they have turned out great so far. Now I would like to try out Chicken Ghee Roast. Just a clarification though, do we need to add ghee (as mentioned in the method) while grinding the other ingredients into a paste? or just to use it while frying
Hey Shilpa,
Congratulations on your new born baby… Meanwhile I tried this recipe of yours and my husband just loved it. Being a vegetarian I tried cooking this recipe for the first time and he was amazed… Thank you so so much!! And good luck with your boy 🙂
happy times ahead with your new born.
I would like to clarify that Kundapur is not in Mangalore but is a part of Udipi.And there is no doubt that Shetty lunch home there is the best for ghee Roast. even sea food varities are amazing…Must try
hiii..
the recipi looks delicious ..could you pls suggest me ,with what main course will this dish go well with?>
I ve kept this for marination. Let s see on how well it works! I am also excited keeping fingers crossed!
cooked it yesterday and it was yummy..thanx shilpa..can you also share some vegetarian recipes without onion and garlic?i am a goan and we do not have onion and garlic on monday n thursday so i am always in a fix what to cook,,please suggest some recipes more with vegetables,,
thanx
chicken ghee roast at coast to coast is the best dish!!!drroooll
I was searching for this recipe for a long time. When I was in Mangalore I used to have this at Mausam and used to like it a lot. Thanks a lot. I tried and it tastes the Best :-)Thanks again.
Hi Shilpa,
I am visiting your site after a long time, looking for something easy and delicious.
When I was in Blr, I used to love this ghee roast at coast to coast, but never imagined it would be so simple to make. I prepared it with prawn and absolutely loved it Tasted almost like the restaurant one.
Can we prepare this one with anything veggie or egg? My husband does not eat meat/fish, and I want him to taste this.
Thank you soo much once again!
I think it will taste good with potatoes.
I hadn’t tasted this before. Tried it on your recommendation. I liked it a lot. It tasted lot like fish fry masala to me- maybe because of the ginger garlic paste I used. Do you think using fresh ginger and garlic will give a different taste? I used coriander pwd, kasoori methi instead of feugreek seeds.
Yes, fresh ginger-garlic paste makes a huge difference. Kasoori methi gives a very different taste, so I don’t recommend it for this dish (if you want to make it taste like the one available in restaurants)
2 Table spoons of chilli powder? Seems like a lot. Are the coriander seeds meant to be whole or crushed?
Hi,
Had Crab ghee roast from Coast II Coast yesterday.. I can still feel its taste in my mouth. Now I am going to try this version of ghee roast with crab. Thanks for the recipe Shilpa.
Regards,
Sampada
HI, SHILPA.tried ur ghee roast recipe.came out very well….can u tell me which main course will match wid this?
I like to serve this with a plain rice-dal.
hi shilpa recipe very delicious everyone enjoyed this recipe thanks
The dish looks just amazing! As a kid I remember eating the ghee roast chicken prepared in a family dinner… Never got to taste it again…. and never seemed to forget the taste ever again! 🙂 Simply lip-smacking!!
Hi..
I am glad to see Shetty lunch home being recognised so many times on ur blog.. Well interesting thing that might surprise you is, that the Coast- Coast in bangalore belongs to 1 of the Sons of the late Owner of Shetty Lunch home..!! So technically you know that if you have visited coast- coast its like visiting Shetty lunch home..and ofcorse ghee roast is one of the many delicacies that they are famous for.. You must try their kane fry or their pomfret fry (sea foods) next time you visit them. Shetty lunch home = Kane(a type of fish) fry. 🙂
Hi.. Great to see ur blog.. Well it may surprise you, but the Coast-coast that you have mentioned belongs to one of the sons of the late owners of Shetty lunch home. So technically speaking if you have visited Coast – coast it is like visiting Shetty lunch home.. Try the Kane fry or pomfret fry if u next time visit them as Shetty lunch home = kane fry.. I am sure u will love it too.. 🙂
Wonderful recipe. I made it in a large grill pan and it turned out to be excellent. Thanks for the recipe.
So glad
Hi
I am a food writer with seriouseats.com- my url is mentioned above. I have written the authentic Ghee roast recipe for chicken here. Hope it helps 🙂
P.S. The recipes you have are really a treasure. Great work
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2013/03/chicken-ghee-roast-indian-recipes.html
Looks so good! cant wait to try! can we bake in oven? for how long?