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Kerala chicken mappas curry in a clay pot with curry leaves and appam
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The Jolly Joseph Cyanide Murders

Kerala Chicken Curry (Chicken Mappas)

“A family table in Kerala, set over fourteen years.”

2002–2016Koodathayi, Kerala, IndiaMedium20 mins prep + 40 minsServes 6

The Case

Between 2002 and 2016, six members of one extended family in Koodathayi, Kerala, died in circumstances that were initially recorded as natural or accidental.

The deaths were only re-examined years later, after a relative went to police. Investigators alleged the victims had been poisoned with cyanide, administered in food and drink shared at family meals.

Jolly Joseph, a member of the family by marriage, was arrested in 2019 and charged in connection with the deaths. The case remains before the Indian courts, and we note that clearly here.

What unsettled India about the case was its setting: not a crime scene, but an ordinary family dining table, over the course of fourteen years.

The Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1kg chicken, cut into curry pieces
  • 2 onions, thinly sliced
  • 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
  • 2 green chillies, slit
  • 20 fresh curry leaves
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • 2 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1/2 tsp fennel seeds, ground
  • 400ml thin coconut milk
  • 200ml thick coconut milk
  • 2 medium potatoes, quartered
  • 3 tbsp coconut oil
  • Salt to taste

Method

  1. 01

    Heat the coconut oil in a heavy pan. Add the fennel and curry leaves and let them crackle for a few seconds.

  2. 02

    Add the onions and green chillies and cook slowly until soft and pale gold, about 10 minutes. Stir in the ginger-garlic paste and cook for 2 minutes more.

  3. 03

    Lower the heat and add the turmeric, coriander and garam masala. Fry for 30 seconds — do not let the spices catch.

  4. 04

    Add the chicken and turn to coat in the masala. Cook for 5 minutes until it loses its raw colour.

  5. 05

    Pour in the thin coconut milk, add the potatoes and salt, cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes until the chicken and potatoes are tender.

  6. 06

    Stir in the thick coconut milk and warm through gently without boiling, or the sauce will split.

  7. 07

    Rest for 10 minutes before serving with appam or steamed rice.

Chef’s Note

Thick coconut milk goes in last and never boils. That single rule is the difference between a silky mappas and a curdled one.

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