Chicken Chettinad

[DonRocks]

On 5/8/2017 at 4:07 PM, SilverBullitt said:

Our family is from Maharastra (west-central India) so I didn’t grow up with the north Indian/Pakistani food common in this area.  We’ve been trying different south Indian restaurants because the flavors are closer to what I’m used to.  I learned of this restaurant from Tyler Cowen’s website.  We’ve gotten carryout several times now (they give a 10% discount if you do carryout and pay with cash).  The Chettinad region is known for its cuisine so I was eager to try the food.  I highly recommend this restaurant; the food has been consistently delicious.

The menu has some North Indian standards but we’ve stuck with the southern dishes.  Among our favorites are kozhi varuval (boneless chicken in dark spices), ennai kathirikai kuzhambu (small eggplants in an oniony tomato sauce), dal tadka (remarkably tasty rendition of this humble dish presumably owing to the generous amount of ghee), and Chettinadu kothamalli chicken curry. 

Have you tried K.N. Vinod's Chicken Chettinad? If not, write me, and I'll track him down and find out where you can find his best version - it is revelatory.

[DanielK]

4 hours ago, DonRocks said:

Have you tried K.N. Vinod's Chicken Chettinad? If not, write me, and I'll track him down and find out where you can find his best version - it is revelatory.

It's at both his restaurants - Bombay Bistro in Rockville, and Indique in DC (where he calls it Tellicherry Peppercorn Chicken).

[SilverBullitt]

Thanks for the recommendation!

We'll give it a try at Bombay Bistro.  I can't believe it's been almost 20 years since we've been there so this is a good reminder. 

[DonRocks]

4 minutes ago, SilverBullitt said:

Thanks for the recommendation!

We'll give it a try at Bombay Bistro.  I can't believe it's been almost 20 years since we've been there so this is a good reminder. 

I don't make a habit of this, but let me talk with Vinod before you go - I want to make sure you get *his* Chicken Chettinad (or at least something resembling his).

He won't be the one cooking it, but certain cooks are better than others, and I want to see which night (and which restaurant) you should go to.

[SilverBullitt]

Don, 

It took 2 years but we finally made it to Bombay Bistro (on a whim so I could not contact you in advance).  I appreciate your recommending the Chicken Chettinad.  It was absolutely delicious.  Perfect seasoning and heat.  It's not often that I replay meals I've eaten but this is one of them.  Thank you.