(Kinda) Chicken Chettinad

This isn't really Chicken Chettinad. Then again, if you ask 6 people from Chettinad, you'll probably get 14 recipes, usually to the tune of 

"This is how I make it, but it's not really the way my mom does, and let's not get started on my aunt, who says you should less fennel but what does I know..." 

If you want a - somewhat - more authentic version, there's this from WhiskAffair, but what follows is the way I make it...

Marinate the chicken

• 1.5 lbs chicken thighs - boneless/skinless, chopped into 1" chunks
• 1 clove ginger chopped into wee tiny bits
• 1" ginger grated
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 cup coconut milk

Put all this in a bowl, mix thoroughly, and let it sit for at least 30 minutes, and preferably overnight, in the fridge.

Masala

• 3 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 tsp fennel seeds
• 2 tsp black peppercorns
• 8 dried red chillies (remove the stem, and crumble the chillies)
• 1" cinnamon
• 3 cardamom (the seeds inside!)
• 3 sprigs of curry leaves
• Salt to taste

Roast the above in a pan with 3 tbsp oil till they give off a pleasant aroma, around 2 minutes on medium.  Make sure you don't burn anything! 
At this stage, add 1/2 large onion, chopped, and let it cook on low for around 10 minutes till the onion is translucent. Stir frequently to ensure that it doesn't burn!
Now, add 3 cloves garlic, diced, and mix in, letting it cook for another 2 minutes or so till the raw smell of the garlic is gone.
Let this cool, and then grind all of this with 1 cup coconut milk. You should end up with a smooth paste. If you have a "mixie", it'll probably work a hell of a lot better than a traditional american blender, fwiw.

And now make it!

Heat 2 tbsp ghee in a pressure cooker till it is melted.
Add 1/2 large onion, chopped (the other half of the onion you used earlier!), and let it cook on medium-low till it's golden brown.

Add in 2" ginger, grated, as well as 3 green chillies, slit in half lengthwise, and stir for around 20 seconds till the raw smell is gone.

Add in the masala from above, and stir for around 30 seconds.

Add in 3 tbsp tomato paste, and 1 cup coconut milk, stir the whole thing till everything is homogenously dissolved, and let it cook on medium for around 5 minutes or so.

At this stage, taste the concoction, and add salt as necessary to get it to taste yum.  The flavor is, roughly, what the final dish will taste like, just a bit more raw. Once you've made this a couple of times, you'll be able to tell if you need to do something else to the dish to get it more to your taste.

Add in the chicken, stir to get everything coated, and cook for 15 minutes at the highest pressure.

Before serving, mix in juice of 1 lemon, and 3 tbsp cilantro, chopped.

Serve on rice (or pasta! seriously!), and serve with an acidic wine (bubbles go best with this!)