Kori Pulimunchi | Divya Shetty

Growing up, food was nourishment, memory, and family gathered around a table. It was how stories travelled, how traditions stayed alive, and how home found its way into the everyday.

Chicken Pulimunchi carries that memory for me. As children, we would watch Mom cook it in a clay pot over firewood, the air slowly filling with the sharp aroma of tamarind, roasted spices, and Byadgi chilli. She would serve it with soft neer dosa or rice rotti, and those Sunday meals became some of our most enduring memories: cousins seated around the table, rice soaked in that deep red curry, elders telling stories, and the unmistakable warmth of home in every bite.

What I love most about Pulimunchi is how it travels without losing itself. Even when I recreate it far from home, its essence remains unmistakably Mangalorean: tangy, fiery, earthy, and deeply familiar. Each time I make it, I feel as though I am carrying a small, living piece of my heritage with me.

For me, choosing Chicken Pulimunchi is choosing a dish that holds comfort, culture, memory, and belonging in one clay pot bowl.

Kori Pulimunchi

Method:

1. In a clay pot, add 2 tsp of coconut oil and 1 tsp of ghee. Once the oil is hot add add 1 finely chopped onion. Fry until the onion turns brown. Add chopped 5-7 cloves of garlic and chopped half inch ginger. Then add chopped 1 tomato and some curry leaves and fry it for a few minutes.
2. Now add cleaned chicken pieces into the pot, add rock salt , 1 tsp of turmeric powder and half chopped onion. Give it a good mix and close the lid, let the chicken cook well.
3. Preparation of masala : In a pan add 1 tsp of coconut oil, fry 12-15 byadagi chillies and keep it aside.
4. Into the same pan, add 3 tsp of coriander seeds, roast them for 2-3 minutes in slow flame, add ¼ tsp Methi, cinnamon, 2 cloves, ½ tsp of pepper corns, 6-8 garlic and ½ onion. Fry all the ingredients for 2-3 minutes and let it cool down.
5. Take a mixi jar, add fried ingredients, tamarind, turmeric powder and required water, grind it into a smooth paste.
6. Add ground masala into the cooked chicken and let it boil without closing the lid for 8-10 minutes.

Best to enjoy with neerdosa, rice rotti, idli Or boiled rice.

Divya Shetty is an HR recruiter by profession who transitioned into a content creator and artist to honor her cultural roots. After completing her post-graduation and beginning her career in recruitment, she took a meaningful hiatus to focus on motherhood following the birth of her daughter.

In 2025, driven by a deep-seated passion for Tulunadu cuisine and a budding interest in digital storytelling, she launched her YouTube channel, Atil in Kudla. Through this platform, Divya seeks to document and preserve the traditional cooking methods of her heritage, ensuring the rich culinary legacy of Tulunadu is accessible to both present and future generations.

Her creativity extends beyond the kitchen into the realm of home décor. An avid crafter, Divya specializes in bottle art using decoupage, intricate dot mandala designs, and MDF board crafting. These artistic pursuits allow her to blend time-honored traditions with modern aesthetics, bringing a vibrant and personal touch to everyday spaces.

^{Translations and detailed descriptions are provided to give a better understanding of the story to people from different cultural backgrounds across the globe.}