Chicken Curry with Roasted Spices (Xacuti de Galinha)

ingredients
1 kg (2.2 lb) Chicken, cut into 12 pieces
2 cups (150 g) 5 oz Coconut (nariyal), grated
2 Onions, medium-sized, sliced
10 Kashmiri chillies (sookhi lal mirch)
1 tsp (2 g) Cumin (jeera) seeds
1 1/2 tbsp (9 g) Coriander (dhaniya) seeds
2 tsp (4 g) Poppy seeds (khus khus)
6 Black peppercorns (sabut kali mirch)
2 Cinnamon (dalchini), 1 inch sticks
8 Cloves (laung)
1 Star anise (chakri phoot)
2 tsp (4 g) Fennel (mot/ saunf)
1/2 tsp (1 g) Turmeric (haldi) powder
5 tbsp (75 ml) 2 1/2 fl oz Vegetable oil
2 Onions, medium-sized, finely sliced
1 1/2 tsp (1 1/2 inch piece) Ginger (adrak), minced
1 1/4 tsp (9 cloves) Garlic (lasan), minced
2 tsp (8 g) Salt
2 - 3 tbsp (30 - 45 ml) Lemon (nimbu) juice

method
1. Grind 1 cup coconut with 1/2 cup warm water and extract 3/4 cup thick coconut milk. Add 1 cup warm water to the coconut again and extract 1 cup thin coconut milk. Keep both aside.

2. Heat a frying pan and dry roast 1 cup coconut till light brown. Dry roast the onions for a few minutes.

3. In the same pan, add 1 tsp oil and saute the Kashmiri chillies for 1 minute. Remove. Saute each of the next 8 ingredients separately with a few drops of oil for a few seconds. Do not allow any of the spices to burn as they will turn bitter.

4. Grind the roasted coconut, onions and spices with the turmeric powder and a little water to a smooth paste.

5. Heat the oil in a large pan; add the onions and saute till soft and golden. Add the ginger and garlic; saute for 1 minute.

6. Add the chicken and saute for 2-3 minutes on high heat till brown. Add the roasted coconut spice paste and mix well.

7. Add the thin coconut milk and salt, mix well, bring to the boil, lower heat and simmer partially covered for 20 minutes until the chicken is cooked and the gravy is thick.

8. Add the thick coconut milk and lemon juice and simmer for 5 minutes. Adjust seasoning.

9. Serve hot with rice or pulao.

Note: For a less rich dish, replace coconut milk with water.