Keralan chicken curry
March 9, 2018

Peter Penguin says...
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(Serves 3)
Ingredients
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tbsp Greek yogurt, lightly whisked
- 800g chicken on the bone, skinned and jointed
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 green birds eye chillies, slit lengthways
- 170g large white onion, thinly sliced
- 140g tomatoes, pureed to a smooth paste
- 100ml water
- 100ml thick coconut milk
- Salt to taste
- 1 tbsp freshly chopped coriander, to garnish
For the paste
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2.5cm piece ginger, roughly chopped
- 8 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds
- 4 dried whole kashmiri red chillies (or any dried mild chillies)
- 2 heaped tsp fennel seeds
- ½ tsp black peppercorn
- 4cm piece cassia bark
- 5 green cardamom pods, seeds only
Method
- Put the turmeric, yogurt and a pinch of salt in a bowl and mix well. Add the chicken pieces and leave to marinate for an hour or so.
- Meanwhile, make the paste. Place a frying pan over a low heat and add oil, followed by ginger and garlic. Fry for about a minute, then add all the paste ingredients and fry for 5-6 minutes until lightly coloured. Leave to cool, then put the mixture in a blender, add 50-70ml water and blitz to a fine paste. Set aside.
- Place a heavy-bottomed non-stick pan heat and add the 3 tbsp of oil. When hot add the birds eye chillies, letting them sizzle for about 10 seconds. Tip in the onion and a pinch of salt and fry for 10-12 minutes or until browned.
- Add the pureed tomatoes and stir well, cooking for 3 minutes. Now add the spice paste and fry for a 4-5 minutes, stirring well, until the sauce thickens slightly and the oil leaving the sides of the pan.
- Now turn the heat up slightly and add the marinated chicken pieces, stirring well to coat them with the spice paste. Fry for 4 minutes until lightly coloured. Add the water and season to taste. Simmer, covered, for 25 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
- Add the coconut milk, stir well and simmer for a further 5-7 minutes or until the sauce is slightly thickened.
- Garnish with chilli flakes or coriander.