Chakkoli or Dumplings and Chicken or Shrimp in Coconut Sauce
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Indian
Serves: 4 people
Ingredients
For making the dough
  • Roasted rice flour- 2 cups + 2 tbsp (rice flour for making idiyappam)
  • Water- 2 cups
  • Salt- ½ tsp
Cooking the dumpling
  • Prepared rice balls
  • Water- 3 cups
  • Vegetable Oil- 2 tbsp
For cooking chicken
  • Chicken, bone-in, cut small- 12 pieces
  • Garam masala- 1 tsp
  • Chili powder- 1½ tsp
  • Turmeric powder- ¼ tsp
  • Fennel powder- 1 tsp
  • Coriander powder- 2 tsp
  • Curry leaves- 1 sprig
  • Salt- ½ tsp
To grind coconut
  • Coconut, grated- 1 cup
  • Fennel powder- 2 tsp
  • Turmeric powder- ¼ tsp
  • Cinnamon stick- 2-inch slice
  • Water- ½ cup
For seasoning (must add)
  • Small onions, minced- ¼ cup
  • Curry leaves- 10 leaves
  • Ghee- 2 tbsp
Instructions
Step1: Making the dough & dumplings
  1. Boil water in a wide saucepan, add salt.
  2. Let the water come to a slight boil, add the rice flour and combine it with a wooden spoon, take the pan off the heat.
  3. Let it cool down a bit, don't let the dough cool down completely it will turn hard.
  4. Using your clean hand, knead the dough well while it's slightly warm.
  5. If the dough is hard, sprinkle a little water and knead the dough.
  6. Make small rod shapes out of the dough.
  7. Grease your clean hands with a little oil.
  8. Take an inch of the dough and make it into a round shape by rolling in between your palms.
  9. Make a depression in the middle of the dough with your finger.
  10. Repeat this until you have the entire dough made into small rounds or dumplings, keep them aside.
Step 2: Cooking the chicken
  1. I've taken bone-in chicken pieces, 12 pieces, you can also use boneless chicken breast or thighs diced.
  2. To the chicken, add chili powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, fennel powder, coriander powder, and curry leaves, combine well.
  3. Cook the chicken in a pressure cooker or in a saucepan over stovetop.
  4. Place a pressure cooker over medium heat, add the marinated chicken to the cooker.
  5. Close the cooker with its lid and place the whistle, cook for 2 whistles or until the chicken has cooked well.
Step 3: Grind the Coconut
  1. Grind the coconut along with fennel powder, turmeric powder, cinnamon stick, and water into a smooth paste. Keep it aside.
Step 4: Cooking the dumpling
  1. Place a wide pot over medium heat, add 3 cups of water and oil.
  2. When the water comes to a rolling boil, add the rice dumplings.
  3. Let cook for 15 minutes, don't stir the dumplings constantly they will break apart.
  4. When the dumplings float on the water, using a slotted spoon take them out of the water.
Step 5: Combine the dumplings with chicken and coconut sauce
  1. Add the cooked chicken, add the cooked dumplings, gently combine well using a spatula.
  2. Now, add the ground coconut, combine well.
  3. Rinse the blender jar with ½ cup water & add that & cook covered for a few minutes.
  4. Cook till the gravy thickens.
  5. If the gravy is watery turn the heat to high and let the sauce thicken. Take the pan off the heat & keep it covered.
Step 6: Final seasoning
  1. Don't skip this step.
  2. Heat a frying pan, add ghee & minced small onions, fry till small onions turn golden in color.
  3. Add curry leaves & fry for a few seconds.
  4. Immediately, pour the seasoning over the prepared chakkoli.
  5. Keep it covered for some time so that the flavor from the seasoning will infuse into the chakkoli.
  6. Let cool down and serve the chakkoli on a plate.
  7. This is a complete meal and you don't need anything to go with this.
  8. This is absolutely delicious.
  9. PS: This dish tastes better the next day, refrigerate any leftovers and warm it up before serving, tastes absolutely delish.
Notes
Chakkoli tastes even better when made with shrimp or prawns.
You could also make this with shrimp goat meat or beef. My favorite is with shrimp.
Don't avoid the final seasoning with fried onions and curry leaves, this enhances the taste of the chakkoli greatly.
Recipe by Cooking with Thas - Smart Cooking, Smart Living at https://thasneen.com/cooking/chakkoli-or-dumplings-and-chicken-in-coconut-sauce/