Marinate the cleaned chicken pieces with salt, pepper powder, turmeric powder and lemon juice. Keep it aside for 30 minutes.

Crush the whole black pepper and keep it aside. Adjust black pepper according to your spice tolerance level.

Thinly slice onions and green chilly. Grind ginger and garlic into a fine paste. Thinly slice coconut into square bite-size pieces. Check the notes for details on coconut bite-sized pieces.

Heat 2 tsps oil in a pan and fry coconut pieces until it becomes golden brown color. Keep it aside.

In a kadai/pan, heat the oil. When hot enough, add onions and curry leaves and saute well. Adding salt, helps the onion to get cooked fast.

When the onions are brown, add the ginger, garlic and green chilli. Saute well till the aromatics release their flavor.

Add garam masala, fennel powder and crushed black pepper. Saute well.

Add marinated chicken pieces and stir around till the chicken pieces are well coated with the masalas. Don't add water.

Cover and cook for 20 minutes.

Now open the lid and cook until the water evaporates. Add fried coconut bite-size pieces.

Add 2 - 3 tsps oil and saute it until it gets roasted/fried well. If you like extra sourness, add vinegar. I like to add 2-3 teaspoon of vinegar at the end for sourness. It's optional. Add it, only if you want it more sour. Best served with rice :)