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Sesame Ginger Dressing
Made with Bharat Sesame Oil
✨ Made with Bharat Cold-Pressed Sesame Oil
Chettinad Pepper Chicken with Bharat Cold-Pressed Sesame Oil
Chettinad cuisine from Tamil Nadu is one of India's most intensely aromatic culinary traditions. The freshly ground spice blend — kalpasi, marathi mokku, black pepper, fennel — demands a cooking oil with enough character to carry it. Bharat Cold-Pressed Sesame Oil is the traditional choice, and with good reason.
Prep Time20 min + 30 min marination
Cook Time25 min
Serves4
DifficultyMedium
DietaryNon-Veg · GF
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Method
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Combine the chicken pieces with all marinade ingredients — coarse black pepper, turmeric, ginger-garlic paste, lemon juice, and salt. Mix well so every piece is evenly coated. Set aside to marinate for at least 30 minutes at room temperature, or refrigerate for up to 4 hours. The longer the better for this dish.
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Make the Chettinad masala: dry roast the coriander seeds, cumin, fennel, dried red chillies, black peppercorns, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and grated coconut together in a dry pan over low heat for 3–4 minutes, stirring constantly, until deeply fragrant. Watch the coconut carefully — it burns quickly. Allow to cool completely, then grind to a fine, even powder. Set aside.
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Heat Bharat Cold-Pressed Sesame Oil in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Its deep, nutty aroma will immediately signal the South Indian cooking tradition this dish comes from. Add the curry leaves — they will spit in the oil — and fry for 20 seconds until crisp.
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Add the chopped onion. Sauté over medium-high heat, stirring regularly, until deeply golden brown — about 8 minutes. Don't rush this step; the caramelised onion is the flavour base of the entire dish.
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Add the chopped tomato. Cook until completely soft and the oil begins to separate from the mixture at the edges — about 4 minutes. This signals the base masala is cooked through.
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Add the marinated chicken pieces to the pan. Increase heat to high and sauté for 3–4 minutes, turning the pieces to sear on all sides. This high-heat step caramelises the marinade on the chicken and locks in the juices.
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Reduce to medium heat. Add the ground Chettinad masala powder. Stir well to coat the chicken evenly and cook for 1 minute until the spices are fragrant and thoroughly combined with the oil and chicken.
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Add ½ cup water. Stir, cover the pan, and simmer over low-medium heat for 15–20 minutes until the chicken is completely tender and the gravy has thickened to a semi-dry, coating consistency. Check and stir every 5 minutes, adding a splash of water if it becomes too dry.
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Taste and adjust salt. Garnish generously with fresh coriander leaves. Serve hot with steamed rice, parotta, or idiyappam.
Why Bharat Cold-Pressed Sesame Oil is the Traditional Choice for Chettinad
Chettinad cooking has used sesame oil for centuries — it is documented in Chettinad culinary manuscripts as the primary cooking medium of the region. The reason is flavour: Bharat Cold-Pressed Sesame Oil's deep, nutty, slightly sweet character is the only oil with enough personality to complement (rather than be overwhelmed by) the intensity of Chettinad's spice blends. A neutral refined oil would disappear behind the masala. Sesame oil becomes part of it — its notes of sesamol and sesamin weaving through the pepper and fennel and cinnamon to create something that is distinctly, irreplaceably Chettinad.
Learn about Bharat Sesame Oil →Cook's Notes
- Freshly ground Chettinad masala is non-negotiable. Pre-ground commercial powders bear no resemblance to the real thing. The 10 minutes of dry roasting and grinding transforms every ingredient — the coconut caramelises, the fennel sweetens, the pepper sharpens. Make it fresh each time.
- Bone-in chicken is traditional and important — it adds gelatin and flavour to the gravy during the simmer that boneless chicken simply cannot. Curry-cut pieces (drumstick, thighs, breast on the bone) are widely available in UAE supermarkets and butcher counters.
- The final gravy should be thick and almost dry — not soupy. Chettinad pepper chicken is a semi-dry dish where the spice masala coats the chicken rather than sitting in a pool of sauce. If your gravy is too liquid, simmer uncovered for the last 5 minutes.
- This dish improves dramatically overnight as the spices penetrate the chicken and the flavours meld. Make it the day before for maximum depth.
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The traditional cooking oil of Chettinad — deep, nutty, and irreplaceable.