Heat the pressure cooker in SAUTE mode. Add all the whole spices to be dry roasted. Roast them for about 30 seconds until they impart their aroma. Add ginger, garlic and grated coconut and saute for another 30 seconds.
Press CANCEL to turn off the pressure cooker. Transfer all the ingredients in the pressure cooker to a blender. Grind to a powder or if needed add some water to make a paste.
Preparing Chettinad Chicken Curry
Start the pressure cooker in SAUTE mode and heat oil in it. Add the bay leaf and curry leaves. Saute for 30 seconds.
Add the diced onion and saute for about 3 minutes.
Then add the diced tomatoes, ground spices and salt. Saute for 2 mins.
Add chicken pieces and saute for 3 mins. This is an important step which infuses the spices in the chicken.
Add water for cooking. Press CANCEL and close the pressure cooker lid with vent in sealing position.
Change the setting to MANUAL or pressure cook mode on high pressure for 5 minutes.
When the pressure cooker beeps, do a quick pressure release.
Garnish with cilantro and Chicken Chettinad is ready to be served.
Notes
I used Kashmiri red chili in this curry. You can use what you have in store, but do adjust the quanity to your taste.
Cut the chicken pieces small, about 1-1.5 inch. If using larger pieces, increase the pressure cooking time by 2-3 minutes.
I used chicken thighs for this curry, you can use chicken breasts too. If using bone-in chicken, increase the cooking time to 10 minutes.