Clean the chicken thoroughly in running cold water. If you want, you can keep the skin on or take it off. I used with skin on. Cut 3 to 4 places with knife over the flesh and give space to masala coat inside.

Heat gingelly oil in a pan add dried red chillies, cumin seeds, black pepper. Saute 30 seconds in medium flame, now add sliced shallots, ginger and garlic. Saute for another 2 minutes. Now add coriander powder, turmeric powder and saute for 30 seconds. Don't burn the masala, do it in medium or low flame. Now let it cool and grind to smooth paste by adding water little by little. Keep this aside.

Now heat gingelly oil pressure cooker, add curry leaves and sliced onion. Saute until onion change into glass stage. Now add chopped tomato and cook for another minute.

Once the tomato mushy add the ground masala with 1/2 cup of water and saute for 1 minutes. Now add chicken legs, salt. Cover the cooker and cook for 3 whistles in medium flame.

Once pressure down, open the lid and transfer the chicken to wide pan and cook until gravy gets thicker and it sticks to the chicken. Once the masala started to stick add crushed pepper powder and curry leaves. Check salt.

Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with rice dishes like sambar rice, biryani.