Keralan chicken coconut ishtu

Name: Keralan chicken coconut ishtu
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h 20 min
Total time: 1 h 40 min
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 5 tbsp coconut oil or vegetable oil; 5cm/2in cinnamon stick; 6 green cardamom pods; 4 cloves; 10 black peppercorns lightly crushed; 1 star anise; 15 curry leaves; 1 medium onion finely sliced; thumb-sized piece of ginger peeled and finely chopped; 6 garlic cloves finely chopped; 2-3 green chillies; 2 tsp fennel seeds; ½ tsp ground turmeric; 1 tbsp ground coriander; 600g chicken thighs skinned; handful green beans ends trimmed, halved if very long; 400ml can coconut milk; 2 tbsp coconut cream; 1 tsp vinegar (or to taste); large handful baby spinach blanched and water squeezed out; small handful fresh coriander to garnish

Instructions

Prep:20minCook:1h 20min

Anjum Anand adds green beans and spinach to this creamy chicken curry to make a flavourful one-pot meal - serve alongside rice, paratha, naan or rice noodles for a special supper. You can also make this keto-friendly by serving with cauliflower rice.

Updated at: Tue, 17 Feb 2026 00:16:05 GMT