GREEN HERBY CHICKEN WITH RICE STRINGHOPPERS / GREEN MASALA CHICKEN WITH RICE SEMAI / SHAVIGE / IDIYAPPAM

In Mangalore traditionally the rice shavige was usually eaten with sweetened and cardamom flavoured coconut milk...but they're so versatile that you can serve them with chicken/egg/fish curry too.  They're a popular breakfast & also served as part of main course. These homemade rice noodles are called semai adai in tulu, shavige in Kannada, Idiyappam in Malayalam. Traditionally the process of making shavige was bit elaborate and time consuming .. but the end result was worth it. They were made using a special shavige press that had three-legs and  a rotating handle. Rice flour for Shavige has however replaced the traditional method of soaking and grinding the rice. After combining the rice flour with salt and hot water and mixing until reaching the right consistency (not too sticky), the dough is pressed through a metal press ( I used wonderchef snack maker) which has holes at the bottom, to create long stringy noodles. The noodles are squeezed out in a circular pattern onto a steamer plate that can also be lined with banana leaves. They are then steamed for about 8 to 10 minutes. Green masala chicken recipe along with these stringhoppers is an absolute delight for those who love the combination of chicken and some adai. The freshly ground green masala is made with mint, coriander leaves and green chillies and gives the curry a lip-smacking freshness and vibrant color and is gentle to the stomach too. Most Asian countries have their own version of this green chicken curry... while Indian recipe calls for more hot and spicy ingredients. What is special about this curry is the simplicity when compared to the other chicken recipes.

Ingredients for Green Herby Chicken :

2 medium onions finely chopped
1 tomato pureed
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
2 Bay leaves/ Tej patta
3-4 cloves / lavang
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
4-5 tblsp oil/ ghee

For marination :

500 gms chicken
1 cup curd
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp pepper powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
1 tblsp ginger garlic paste
salt to taste
Green masala paste (1 cup coriander leaves, 1 cup mint leaves, 4-5 green chillies)

Method :

1. Firstly take a blender add coriander leaves, mint leaves, green chillies, little salt and blend it into a fine paste.
2. Now marinate the chicken with the marination ingredients and the green masala and keep aside for an hour or two.
3. Heat oil in a kadai add the bay leaves and cloves, next add the chopped onion and saute till golden in colour. Add ginger garlic paste and saute until raw smell disappears. Later add in the tomato puree and the spice powders, little salt and cook for a few seconds.
4. Now add in the marinated chicken, 1/2 to 1 cup water and stir well and cook covered for 25-30 minutes or until oil separates/ chicken tenderizes.
5. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with rice shavige/ ghee rice.

Ingredients for Rice Shavige :

2 cups rice flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp oil
1/2 to 1 cup hot water or as required

Method :

1. Add 1 tsp oil to 2 cups of  water and bring to boil. Keep aside.
2. In a bowl take rice flour, salt and mix well. Gradually add the hot water to the rice flour and stir with a spatula. Continue to add water little by little and mix well until a smooth, soft and non sticky dough is formed.
3. You can now knead with your hand for a minute or two once you are able to handle the dough.
4. Grease the inner part of the snack maker press and your palm with little oil. Heat the steamer.
5. Take a portion of the dough , smoothen it and fill it in the press.
6. Similarly grease the steamer plates or line it with banana leaves. Gently press the shavige dough onto the plate and steam the string hoppers for 8-10 minutes. Let them cool down for a few minutes before you transfer it to your serving dish.
7. Enjoy hot with sweetened coconut milk or my blog mangalorean Kori/ meen gassi.
https://shashiskitchen66.blogspot.com/2018/02/pomfret-meen-gassi-mangalorean-style.html
https://shashiskitchen66.blogspot.com/2017/11/chicken-curry-kori-rotti-mangalorean.html