Spicy Chettinad chicken, a hot favourite of Indians

This was revealed in a national survey across all the major metros for a period of eight months conducted by mobile food delivery giant Foodpanda. Orders for spicy food have gone by 40 per cent. The favourite dish of Chennaiites and Bangaloreans turned out to by Tamil Nadu’s own Chettinad chicken, while Delhiites and Hyderabadis voted for spicy chilli chicken. 

Despite Chennai being a bit more conservative in relishing non-vegetarian cuisine, Chettinad chicken can actually be a healthy cuisine choice says chef Damu.  

The record-breaking celebrity chef talks about how the dish has medicinal qualities. “The use of dry roasted red chillies, poppy seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, fenugreek, black pepper, cinnamon, cloves as well as onion, garlic, grated coconut and ginger, gives it a layered flavour. Apart from the taste, it also has medicinal qualities. It is believed that the Chettiars consumed it and perspired so much that would be cured of any cold or flu. They need not have to go to a doctor at all,” he says. 

Yegammal Vijay, a Chettiar home chef says that she prepares the dish based on her mother-in-law’s recipe. “One secret from our recipe is that we add the pepper at the end when the chicken is pressure cooked, so that it doesn’t turn bitter. The flavour of pepper is right there, when we serve the dish. It is a Sunday staple at our household and in fact, although it is spicy, even my children love eating it with dosa and plain rice,” she says.

The survey that was released on the occasion of International Hot and Spicy day, shows that contrary to belief, people eat spicy food at dinner time, and the one international cuisine that is catching up with Chettinad and Andhra cuisine is Mexican food — also because of its relatively high spice content.