Maharashtrian Black chicken curry – often known as Kala Tilachi Kombdi or Tilachi Rassa – is not a glossy restaurant curry. You won’t find it on many menus, though I did manage to find it on one menu in Mumbai which is one of the reasons I’m sharing the recipe here. There’s no cream, no tomatoes, no cashews smoothing things out. What you get is a curry that’s inky dark, deeply nutty, slightly bitter in the best possible way, and unbelievably satisfying.
This is proper Maharashtrian village cooking. The kind of food that’s slow, deliberate and built on technique rather than fancy ingredients. It’s bold, rustic, easy and completely unforgettable.
What Is Black Sesame Seed Chicken Curry?
This curry gets its colour and flavour from black sesame seeds (kala til), which are dry-roasted and ground with dark-roasted onions and whole spices to form a powerful masala. That masala is then slow-cooked with chicken until the gravy turns almost black and the oil rises to the surface.
The flavour profile is very different from most Indian curries:
- Spicy but not sharpAbout
- Nutty and earthy
- Deeply roasted
- Slightly bitter (intentionally)
This is a unique curry that you need to try soon!
A Bit of History (Why This Curry Exists)
This version of black chicken curry comes primarily from inland Maharashtra, especially:
- Vidarbha
- Parts of Marathwada
- Dry, rural regions away from the Konkan coast
In these areas, coconuts were not always readily available, but sesame seeds were. Black sesame has been grown in Maharashtra for centuries and is especially associated with:
- Winter cooking
- “Warming” foods in Ayurvedic tradition
- Rural gravies and chutneys
Sesame seeds store well, are calorie-dense and develop incredible flavour when roasted. So cooks did what cooks have always done: they built cuisine around what the land gave them.
This curry is a perfect example of that. Instead of lightening the gravy, cooks leaned into darkness – roasting onions hard, toasting sesame seeds carefully and cooking the masala slowly until it became something powerful and sustaining.
Is This Curry Made Elsewhere in India?
Short answer: not really.
You’ll find sesame used in:
- Maharashtrian chutneys and gravies
- Some Telugu and Kannada dishes
- Bengali cooking (especially mustard-sesame combinations)
But a black sesame–based chicken rassa like this is distinctly Maharashtrian and even within Maharashtra it’s quite regional.
Outside the state, this curry is often adapted, softened, or misunderstood. Proper versions are almost always home-cooked.
Ingredients
You’ll need to gather quite a few spices for this recipe but the cooking is easy. Be sure to get everything ready before you start cooking and it will be even easier. The ingredient measurements I use for this black chicken curry are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this page.
See recipe card for quantities.
- Chicken, cut into medium bone-in pieces
- Salt
- Garlic and ginger paste
- Turmeric
- FOR THE BLACK MASALA
- Black sesame seeds
- Vegetable oil
- Red onions
- Coriander seeds
- Cumin seeds
- Dried red chillies
- Black peppercorns
- Cloves
- Cinnamon stick
- Star anise (optional, but lovely)
- FOR THE CURRY
- Vegetable oil
- Brown onion
- Garlic and ginger paste
- Salt to taste
- Hot water as needed
- TO FINISH
- Raw red onion slices
- Lemon wedges
Step by step photos
Below, you’ll see step-by-step photographs to guide you through the recipe. At the bottom of the page, you’ll also find the full recipe card, which includes the complete list of ingredients and written instructions in an easy, printable format.
- Step 1: Rub the chicken pieces with salt, garlic and ginger paste and turmeric. Set aside. Bone-in chicken thighs or legs are essential here – breast meat simply doesn’t stand up to this gravy.
- Step 2: Roasting the black sesame seeds matters more than anything else. Dry roast the black sesame seeds in a heavy pan over low heat, stirring constantly. They’ll start to pop gently, smell nutty and darken slightly. The moment they’re aromatic, transfer them to a plate. Burnt sesame is bitter in a bad way – there’s no fixing it.
- Step 3: Pour the remaining whole spices into the pan and toast them for about a minute or until warm to the touch and fragrant. Transfer to the plate with the sesame seeds.
Be careful when roasting the sesame seeds. Do not burn those sesame seeds.
Low and slow is the only way to roast them!
- Step 4: To make the black masala, heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in the same pan and add the sliced onions. Cook slowly, patiently, until the onions turn very dark brown, almost black at the edges.
- Step 5: Return the toasted sesame seeds and whole spices to the pan and mix them into the onions.
- Step 6: Remove from heat, allow to cool slightly, then grind to a thick, dark paste, adding a little water if needed.
- Step 7: To make the curry, heat 3 tbsp oil in a heavy-bottomed pot or kadai over a medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and cook until soft and lightly golden. About 7 minutes should do. Stir in the garlic and ginger paste and stir it into the onion mixture for about 30 seconds.
- Step 8: Stir in the black masala and reduce the heat to medium-low and saute for about 10 minutes or until the masala darkens little and the aroma becomes deep, nutty and almost smoky. Then stir in the chicken.
- Step 9: Add just enough hot water to cover the chicken and cooked uncovered for 5 to 7 minutes. Cover and simmer gently for 35–45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is tender, the gravy is thick and dark and the oil floats to the top.
- Step 10: Season with salt to taste. Continue simmering until you are happy with the consistency of the sauce. Traditionally, the sauce is thick but you can have a thinner sauce if you prefer. Turn off the heat and let the curry rest, covered for at least 15 minutes before serving. Serve over hot white rice, naan and/or chapattis.
What Makes This Black Chicken Curry Different?
A few defining features:
- No tomatoes
- No coconut
- No cream
- Heavy roasting
- Slow cooking
This curry doesn’t try to please everyone. It’s confident, slightly challenging, and deeply satisfying if you enjoy bold flavours.
Useful Equipment
You don’t need anything fancy, but these help:
- Heavy-bottomed pan or kadai
- Spice grinder or high-powered blender
- Wooden spoon
- Sharp knife
- Chopping board
- Patience (seriously)
Storage and Reheating
Storage
- Keeps in the fridge for 3–4 days
- Store in an airtight container
This curry tastes even better the next day.
Reheating
- Reheat gently on the stovetop
- Add a splash of water if needed
- Avoid high microwave heat
Freezing
Thaw overnight and reheat slowly
Freezes well for up to 2 months
Top Tip
Roast sesame seeds gently – low heat only. Dark and aromatic is good. Burnt is not!
FAQ
It’s warming rather than fiery. You control the chilli level and you can always add more or less. Sometimes I add chopped green chillies at the end to spice it up more.
You can, but the flavour and colour will be very different. Stick to black sesame seeds if you can but white sesame seeds will also taste good.
Tomatoes would clash with the sesame and lighten the flavour. This dish predates them. It also predates the chillies that are used but dried chillies are now a popular ingredient.
Looking for more delicious chicken curries? Try these
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with [this recipe]:
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Yield: 4
Maharashtrian Black Chicken Curry
I think you will love the rich flavours of this Black Chicken Curry, a traditional Maharashtrian dish that is bold and unforgettable.
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time
1 hour 45 minutes
Ingredients
- 1kg chicken, cut into medium bone-in pieces
- Salt to taste
- 2 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
- ½ tsp turmeric
- FOR THE BLACK MASALA
- 3 tbsp black sesame seeds
- 2 tbsp oil
- 2 large onions, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp coriander seeds
- 1 tbsp cumin seeds
- 8–10 dried Kashmiri red chillies
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 4 cloves
- 1 small cinnamon stick
- 1 star anise (optional, but lovely)
- FOR THE CURRY
- 3 tbsp oil
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- Salt to taste
- Hot water as needed
- TO GARNISH
- Lemon wedges
- Sliced red onion
Instructions
- Rub the chicken pieces with salt, garlic and ginger paste and turmeric. Set aside. Bone-in chicken thighs or legs are essential here – breast meat simply doesn’t stand up to this gravy.
- Roasting the black sesame seeds matters more than anything else. Dry roast the black sesame seeds in a heavy pan over low heat, stirring constantly. They’ll start to pop gently, smell nutty and darken slightly.
- The moment they’re aromatic, transfer them to a plate. Burnt sesame is bitter in a bad way – there’s no fixing it.
- Pour the remaining whole spices into the pan and toast for about a minute or until warm to the touch and fragrant. Transfer them to the plate with the sesame seeds.
- To make the black masala, heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in the same pan and add the sliced onions. Cook slowly, patiently, until the onions turn very dark brown, almost black at the edges. This takes about 10 minutes. Don’t rush it.
- Add the roasted sesame seeds, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, dried chillies, peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon and star anise. Stir well and roast for about a minute or until aromatic.
- Remove from heat, allow to cool slightly, then grind to a thick, dark paste, adding a little water if needed.
- To make the curry, heat 3 tbsp oil in a heavy-bottomed pot or kadai over a medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and cook until soft and lightly golden. About 7 minutes should do. Stir in the garlic and ginger paste and stir it into the onion mixture for about 30 seconds.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and saute until the masala darkens little and the aroma becomes deep, nutty and almost smoky. This step takes about 10 minutes. It’s where the flavour is built.
- Add the chicken pieces and stir well to coat. Add just enough hot water to cover the chicken and cooked uncovered for 5 to 7 minutes.
- Cover and simmer gently for 35–45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is tender, the gravy is thick and dark and the oil floats to the top.
- Season with salt to taste. If you want a thinner gravy, you can add a splash more water. Turn off the heat and let the curry rest, covered for at least 15 minutes before serving.
- Serve over hot white rice, naan and/or chapattis.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4
Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 906Total Fat: 63gSaturated Fat: 12gUnsaturated Fat: 51gCholesterol: 230mgSodium: 479mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 8gSugar: 4gProtein: 64g
