Restaurant-style Munnar chicken curry

A unique preparation that perfectly represents the beautiful hillstation, Munnar chicken curry is delicious, spicy and is loaded with flavours. The coconut milk adds perfect sweetness that cuts through the spiciness and adds texture to the gravy as well.

This dish tastes good with chapathi, appam, nan, or fragrant pulao. Here is how you could easily make restaurant-style Munnar chicken curry.

Ingredients
500 gm chicken (cut into small pieces)
2 cardamom pods
3 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf
2 onions (chopped)
1 tsp crushed ginger
1 tsp crushed garlic
A pinch of turmeric powder
1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
2 tsp Kashmiri dry red chilli flakes (or 1 tsp regular chili flakes)
1 tomato
½ cup first extract of coconut milk
1 cup second extract of coconut milk
6 cashews (soaked)
Salt as required
For the tempering
5 shallots
2 dried red chillies
Curry leaves as required

Preparation
Grind the soaked cashews into a smooth paste by adding some water
Heat oil in a pan and sauté the cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, and bay
Now add the onions. Sauté well
Into it add crushed ginger and garlic
Add the turmeric powder, chilli powder and red chilli flakes as well
Sauté until the raw smell of the powders are gone
Add the tomatoes
Sauté until the tomatoes are mushy and oil begins to separate
Now add the chicken pieces, the second extract of coconut milk and salt as required
Mix well and cook on low flame
When the chicken pieces are cooked, add the first extract of coconut milk and the cashew paste
Give everything a good mix
Cook for two more minutes and turn off the flame
For preparing the tempering, heat coconut oil in a pan 
Sauté the dried red chillies, shallots, and curry leaves
Add this tempering into the chicken curry and mix well.