Chicken stew or Kozhi Ishtu is a quintessential part of Easter and Christmas breakfast menu in Kerala. Creamy and fragrant, chicken stew is light on spices unlike most Indian curries. It is often served with appam, a steamed fermented pancake made of rice and coconut milk. Appam and stew are also served as a first course in weddings or other special occasions in Kerala’s Christian community. In our household, we have stew with appam or bread for dinner as well.
Kerala’s cuisine – a marriage of cultures
Kerala, owing to its prime location in the South West coast of India, was a centre of ancient spice trades. Kerala’s cuisine has been heavily influenced by traders, colonists and religious missionaries who visited and lived in Kerala. Thus, over the years, Kerala’s gastronomy has picked up ingredients, flavors and cooking styles from various cultures, creating a unique cuisine blending local and foreign dishes.
Interestingly, the culinary traditions of the state have been influenced greatly by religion. The Northern regions of Kerala have a predominantly Muslim population. Here, you can see a lot of Arab influence in their dishes. Central Kerala has a large percentage of Christians – many of their dishes are influenced by European and Syrian Christian cultures. In Southern Kerala, there is more Hindu influence and is home to many regional vegetarian specialties.
Did you know? Christians along with Muslims and some Hindus in Kerala eat red meat? Beef ularthiyathu is one such dish.
Kerala’s Colonial Rule and the Chicken Stew
Chicken stew is a popular dish from Kerala’s Christian community. It is believed that Malayalee chefs who served officials during the colonial rule may have given their own touch to the traditional British stew by using a combination of similar vegetables and meat. Spices were added for more taste, and the heat mellowed down using coconut milk, which was available in abundance in Kerala. This dish was called ‘ishtu‘, a possible mispronunciation of ‘stew’. Though the colonial rule came to an end later, ishtu had found a permanent place in the locals’ hearts and tummies.
If you are intrigued by dishes being born from the marriage of different cultures, you may like to read about Rendang and Hainanese Chicken Rice. Culinary history and travel – a great way to experience the amazing array of cultures in the world, I tell you!
What can you use in place of chicken?
To make Kerala Stew, you can replace chicken with other meats such as duck, lamb or beef. Vegetarians can substitute the meat with boiled eggs. To veganize this recipe, simply replace the meat / eggs with more vegetables.
Which vegetables can be used in Kerala Stew?
An authentic Kerala stew always has potatoes. Some people (myself included) also add carrots and green peas. My mom, however, prefers making stew with just meat and potatoes. It really is a personal choice. If you are not a purist, you can also add more vegetables that are not normally added in traditional Kerala stew – for example, green beans, cauliflower, mushrooms and chick peas.
Can Kerala Chicken Stew be made ahead and frozen?
You can make Kerala Chicken Stew and store in the fridge for 2 to 3 days. Since it contains coconut milk, there is a chance it could get spoilt after that. If you want to refrigerate the stew longer or freeze it, I have tips – read on!
To make Chicken Stew, we first cook chicken and vegetables in water or thin coconut milk. If you’d like to store the stew longer, cook it in water instead of thin coconut milk. Then, at the end of cooking, don’t add the thick coconut milk right away. Once the stew has cooled down to room temperature, store in airtight containers. Refrigerate for up to 5 – 6 days or freeze for up to 3 months. If freezing, I suggest you divide the stew into portions and store in Ziploc bags or freezer-safe containers. This way, you only need to defrost the portion you need.
Defrost by leaving the packet in the fridge overnight, or by using the ‘defrost’ setting in microwave oven. When it’s time to serve, scoop out the portion you need into a bowl. Reheat and add thick coconut milk.
Making ahead and freezing cooked dishes is not something you’ll see people do in Kerala. That, however, doesn’t mean you cannot freeze it. It’s just that freezing cooked meals is not part of the culture in Kerala. Whenever possible, I like to cook double batches of dishes and freeze a batch so that I can take a break when I don’t want to cook. I have done this with Kerala Chicken Stew as well, and didn’t find any difference in taste!
Serving suggestions
- Appam (Rice Hopper): The most popular way to serve Kerala Chicken Stew is with traditional steamed pancakes made of rice and coconut milk called ‘appam‘. There are mainly two kinds of appams that Keralites like to have with curries – paalappam and vellayappam (or kallappam), and chicken stew is fantastic with these!
- Idiyappam (String Hopper): Chicken stew can also be served with idiyappam, also known as noolappam or nool puttu. Idiyappam is traditional steamed rice noodles.
- Bread: Mop the stew up with regular bread. If I don’t have time to make appam, this is how I mostly serve stew.
- Chappati: Chicken stew is great with chappati as well, but definitely better with appam, idiyappam or bread!
More Recipes
If you are looking for meat recipes from Kerala, you may like Beef Ularthiyathu. For vegetarian side dishes and more from Kerala, be sure to check out my Kerala recipes.
If you liked reading about how the British rule in India led to the birth of Kerala’s Chicken stew, and would like to read about other dishes being born from the marriage of different cultures, check out Lamb Rendang and Hainanese Chicken Rice. They are two of my most popular posts! Maybe, try cooking them in your kitchen and soak up on some interesting culinary history! 🙂
Kerala Chicken Stew | Kozhi Ishtu
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp Oil (Coconut / Vegetable / Canola / Sunflower)
- 2 nos. Green Cardamom
- 2 nos. Cinnamon (small pieces)
- 4 nos. Cloves
- 2 nos. Star Anise (Optional)
- 2 nos. Bay Leaves
- 1 tsp Whole Black Peppercorn
- 2 nos. Red Onion (sliced)
- 1 sprig Curry leaves (fresh or dry)
- 2 or 3 nos. Green Chillies (slit vertically)
- 4 nos. Garlic Cloves (minced)
- 2 inch Ginger (minced)
- Salt (to taste)
- ½ cup Potato (peeled and cubed)
- ½ cup Carrot (peeled and cubed)
- ¼ cup Green Peas
- 1 kg Chicken (bone-in) (cut into medium-sized pieces)
- ½ cup Water / Thin Coconut Milk (refer to notes)
- ¾ to 1 cup Thick Coconut Milk (refer to notes to use canned coconut milk)
Instructions
- Heat oil in a big pan or pressure cooker.
- Add the whole spices (green cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, star anise, bay leaves and whole black peppercorn) and saute till aromatic.
- Now, add in sliced red onions, curry leaves and green chillies. Saute till the onions turn translucent.
- Add garlic and ginger. Saute for around 2 mins.
- Follow by adding salt and combine well.
- Add potato, carrots, green peas and chicken pieces.
- Pour in water / thin coconut milk. Pressure cook for 1 whistle. If not pressure cooking, close the pan with a lid and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until the chicken and vegetables are cooked through.
- Allow to release the pressure naturally. Then, pour in the thick coconut milk and stir to combine. The stew is ready.
Video
Notes
- If using canned coconut milk, use water to cook the chicken and replace thick coconut milk that is added at the end with canned coconut milk.
- If cooking in a normal pan or pot (i.e., not pressure cooking), you may have to add more water than is mentioned in the recipe. Adjust according to desired consistency of stew.
- Make it vegetarian: Replace the chicken with eggs or more vegetables.
- Make it vegan: Replace the chicken with more vegetables. For suggestions of vegetables that can be used, please refer to the write-up above the recipe card.
- Freezing: Cook the chicken in water instead of thin coconut milk. Don’t add canned or thick coconut milk at the last stage of cooking. Once the stew has cooled, divide into portions and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost, reheat and add coconut milk. Refer to write-up above recipe card for more details.
Thank you so much for a very informative and delicious post. I’m very curious to try this different spin on chicken stew but I don’t think I can wait for Christmas!
You don’t need to wait, bernice! I make it during the rest of the year as well! 🙂 Go on and try it, I hope you enjoy it as much as we do! 🙂
Sounds delicious and like something my whole family would like. I loved learning all about this dish😁
It’s absolutely delicious and so easy to make. I’m so glad you loved reading about this dish! 🙂
I love soups and i love the fact that you can make this with chicken, vegetarian or vegan.
Yess!! It’s such a versatile recipe and so flavorful with only a handful of ingredients!
This was the perfect stew for a rainy, grey west coast day. I loved the creamy coconut milk and the punch from the star anise. Thanks!
You’re so right! Love it on any day but especially on a rainy day – it’s divine!