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“Followed your recipe with chicken fillets for lunch today. Fell in love with the authentic aroma ????“

– Jennet Menezes

Being a Mangalorean, I have been a witness to many of the post-partum practices followed by my mother, when my elder sister came home to stay with us during her period of confinement – the savoury and sweet diet, nutrition, coconut oil massages followed by warming baths, sleeping in dark rooms, avoiding exposure to wind and cold, belly binding and many more!! Sounds familiar to some of you, right!!

Maya D’Costa, a Birth Institute student, gives us an insight into the traditional ways in which women in India are supported during post-partum period. Nutrition Care of Rochester is a website specialising in the health of women and children. To learn more about Postpartum Traditions in India, please visit https://www.nutritioncareofrochester.com/article.cfm?ArticleNumber=30

During the period of confinement, in many south-east Asian countries, a new mother whilst being pampered, is also made to observe a very controlled diet. In a Mangalorean home, she is given food that is easily digestible such as spatchcock|poussin or mutton paya (goat trotters or feet) soups or curries, light fish preparations such as kaane nivoll curry or kaane pepper fry along with steaming hot boiled rice. Food considered particularly dangerous such as jackfruit, different varieties of bananas, pineapple, field cucumbers (moghem), buffalo meat were avoided from the post-partum diet.

Spices such as, cumin and carom (ajwain) seeds along with turmeric are included in cooking as they are meant to cool the stomach, rev up digestion and promote production of breast milk. Used in traditional Indian cuisine and ayurvedic medicine, these spices have also shown to have an anti-inflammatory effect on the body, in much the same way as turmeric.

Just in case you are wondering what a spatchcock is, well, a spatchcock is a culinary term used in the cookery books of the 18th and 19th century and revived towards the end of the 20th century. It is said to be of Irish origin and carries two meanings:

• A spatchcock is a young chicken usually 3-4 weeks of age.
• It also refers to a specific way of preparing the chicken, so it can be flattened to roast or barbecue in half the time.

More clearly, spatchcocking/butterflying is a technique of removing the backbone of the whole chicken in such a way that the bird lays flat or in a sense opened like a book, if you like, and roasted/baked. This technique was increasingly easier to practice on smaller birds, hence this technique became more commonly associated with young chickens over time.

In the recipe that follows, I will not be butterflying the chicken. I am using a young chicken to make a traditional Mangalorean curry without coconut, specifically given to post-natal/post-partum women in India, particularly in Mangalore. This curry is mild, tasty, flavoursome and easy to digest. Although this curry forms a part of the post-natal diet, you can enjoy it any time of the year!

The chicken is cut into pieces and cooked to perfection in a mild earthy sauce packed with flavour. It is not at all spicy and it is suitable not just for the post-natal women but for all who love curries!!! Serve with steaming hot boiled rice (a type of rice) or pan polay (unfermented lacy ice flour pancakes) or neer dosa.

Close up of the freshly cooked Spatchcock curry with the fried onion garnish

Let me go through what you need to make this amazing curry!! First, the delicious curry paste that will form the sauce.

• Spatchcock|poussin – A spatchcock|poussin is a young chicken around 3-4 weeks of age, weighing approximately 450g – 600g. It is available as a whole bird in Woolworths and Coles Supermarkets. Cut into 8 pieces for making this curry.

• Alternative cuts– Chicken thigh fillets will also work well, as would chicken thigh cutlets (use 500g-600g of chicken thigh fillets or cutlets with bone in). Chicken thigh cutlets with bone in, stay tender and juicy when cooked. Remove the skin of the cutlets (if you prefer it that way) and cut the cutlets into two pieces using a meat cleaver. Just look out as there may be some splinters in the curry. I do not use chicken breast, as I find chicken breast a bit stringy when cooked in a curry.

• Spices – The whole spices and ground spices in the image are fairly accessible these days in the spice section of large grocery stores in Australia. If you are unable to buy coriander and cumin seeds, you can find at all Indian supermarkets (I buy my spices at Ravi’s House of Spices in West Ryde, NSW) or Asian grocery stores (some have Indian section). Many spices are now available at most Coles grocery stores in their dedicated Indian Section. Click on the link below to see what spices you can buy at Coles https://shop.coles.com.au/a/national/everything/search/coriander%20seeds

• Coriander and Cumin seeds are also used in: Pomfret Fish Curry, Sardine Curry, Mangalorean Spicy Beef Curry, Malabar Spinach and Paw Paw Curry, Udupi Tomato Sambhar.

• Peppercorns, ground cinnamon and turmeric – Gives the curry sauce the peppery heat and the beautiful hues of green and yellow.

• Oil and onion – Onion browned in a little oil and blended to form the curry base, gives the curry sauce a rich flavour.

• Fresh garlic – Roughly sliced as we are blending it with other spices to make the curry paste.

• Tamarind – Fresh, a staple in Indian curries, is added for flavouring and a little tang. It is soaked in a little hot water and only pulp/extract is used.

Much of the curry flavour comes from the curry paste (above). But there are a couple of extra ingredients used to pep up the base of the sauce flavour:

• Ghee (clarified butter) – A widely used fat in Indian cooking, made from cow’s milk. It is beautifully fragrant and adds a unique nutty taste to this curry sauce.

Find at: Most natural food-stores plus nearly any mainstream grocery store. Look for it with the cooking oils or in the dedicated Indian foods section. Shelf-stable ghee does not need to be refrigerated.

• Chicken Stock powder – Is a wonderful addition to many Indian curries and this curry is no exception. Boosts the sauce flavour beautifully.

The Spatchcock|Poussin curry starts off with a curry paste made by grinding or blending fried onions with some earthy spices and fresh garlic. This paste is then used as a curry sauce before adding the chicken, which is then simmered until just tender.

You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. This is the summary of the process to go along with the process photos.

Step 1 – in the recipe card below

Before you start prepping the ingredients, soak tamarind in 3 tbsp. hot water for 15 minutes. Squeeze the tamarind with your fingers, discard the seeds and fibre. Use only the pulp/extract in Step 4

Step 2 – in the recipe card below

Remove the spatchcock from the packet. Rinse under cold running water, drain and blot dry on paper towel

My apologies, I have not included a separate photo of the blot dried chicken, as I have posted the photo with the ingredients above. You get the idea!

Step 2 – in the recipe card below

Using a knife or poultry shears, cut the spatchcock into 8 pieces. Leave the skin intact.

In the image, I have separated the neck and hence you will see 9 pieces! Set aside

Step 3 – in the recipe card below – Heat oil, add sliced onion, fry till the edges turn golden. Remove from heat. Cool.

Heat oil in a medium frying pan

Add 1 sliced onion

Fry till the edges turn golden. Cool

Step 4 – in the recipe card below – Add fried onion to blender. Add spices, garlic and tamarind pulp. Blend to a smooth paste.

Place browned onion into a blender. Add spices, garlic and tamarind pulp

Blend to a smooth paste with 50mL-60mL water. The curry paste is ready

Step 5 – in the recipe card below – Heat ghee in a saucepan. Add the remaining onion and fry until golden. Set aside a tablespoon for garnish.

Heat ghee in a medium saucepan on medium

Add the remaining onion. Stir from time to time to avoid catching

Fry until golden brown. Set aside 1 tbsp. for garnish

Step 6 and 7 – in the recipe card below – Add the chicken and brown. Add the blended paste and stock powder. Add the reserved blender water. Stir well. Simmer covered for 4-5 minutes.

Add the chicken. Brown for 4 minutes turning from time to time

Add the blended curry paste and stock powder. Stir to combine

Add reserved blender water. Stir, season and simmer for 4-5 minutes

Close up of freshly cooked spatchcock curry without the fried onion garnish

• Traditionally served over piping hot boiled rice (a type of rice) straight after the new mother has had her oil massage and warming bath. Not everyone is a new mother, I get it!
• Serve over basmati rice, though any type of rice will work well here (white, brown, jasmine or Low GI white Doongara Clever Rice from your local Woolworths Supermarket).
• Serve along with Indian rice breads such as panpolay or neer dosa (unfermented lacy rice flour pancakes). Recipe published in my first ever cookbook ‘Deliciously Indian’, available to buy on Amazon.
• Also delicious served with Mangalore Appams (fermented lacy rice flour pancakes). Recipe published in my first ever cookbook ‘Deliciously Indian‘, available to buy on Amazon.