anita's chicken curry

ANITA’S CHICKEN CURRY RECIPE

Serves 12-14. Prepping and cooking take approximately 2 ½ – 3 hours, but it’s worth it! Make loads so you can refrigerate and batch freeze. This is a tried-and-tested recipe I’ve been making for years and sharing with friends worldwide. It’s delicious, and my family and friends love it. I learnt to cook at 13; my Mummyji would tell me, “Unless you learn to cook, you’ll never find a husband!”

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I make the masala from scratch, but a good quality shop-bought brand will suffice. I also wear a shower cap and house coat so my hair and clothes don’t smell of the delicious spices cooking away.

INGREDIENTS

Eight medium/6 large onions finely chopped in a food processor or by hand.
50ml rapeseed oil or ghee (you may need to add more) if the onions stick to the bottom of the saucepan.
Dry spices include four bay leaves, four black cardamoms, and 12 green cardamoms. Once the curry is cooked, I remove the whole black cardamom from the saucepan.
Two kg of lean chicken thighs need to be skinless and boneless. Chicken breast won’t cut the mustard—it’s too dry and doesn’t have enough flavour. Each piece is chopped into four to six pieces. OR good quality lamb chopped into small cubes.
800g fresh ripe tomatoes (blitzed in a food processor) or 2 x 400g tinned chopped tomatoes.
1 or 2 level teaspoons of salt (add more/less depending on your taste)
Three heaped teaspoons of garam masala or masala.
Two heaped teaspoons of turmeric/haldi
Two heaped teaspoons of cumin
One heaped teaspoon of red chilli flakes or four chopped fresh green chillies – vary quantity to your taste.
Approx. 60g peeled ginger
12 cloves garlic
Two large handfuls of finely chopped coriander, including stalks for garnishing

METHOD

With this recipe, keep stirring occasionally to avoid the sauce sticking to the bottom of the pan. If it does, scrape off the bottom of the saucepan, add a little more oil, and turn down the heat.

You’ll need to vary the heat throughout the cooking process.

I sometimes use a non-stick wok, Le Creuset, or a deep stainless steel saucepan. You don’t want the ingredients to stick to or burn on the bottom.

On medium heat, heat oil and add dry whole spices (bay leaves, black cardamoms, and green cardamoms). Once the curry is cooked, I remove the black cardamom from the saucepan before serving.

Let them splutter for 2 minutes (until they change colour), and add onions. Coat them in the oil thoroughly. Pop the lid on and cook until golden brown (approx. 30-35 minutes), stirring occasionally on low-medium heat.

Meanwhile, add peeled garlic, ginger, and fresh green chillies (optional) to a food processor with a bit of water and blitz until a smooth paste.

Once the onions are browned, add garlic/ginger/chilli paste. Add tomatoes, ground powdered dry spices and salt, and stir thoroughly. Cook on medium heat for 10-15 minutes. Then, stirring occasionally, pop on the lid and cook for 20-30 minutes on low heat. This bit mustn’t be rushed; you’ve got to simmer this sauce to release all the flavours and avoid making the curry bitter. You’ll know when the sauce is cooked as the oil is released from the masala and will go dark brown. If you find the sauce sticking to the saucepan’s base, turn down the heat, mix thoroughly, and add a little more oil.

Turn up the heat and add chopped chicken thighs. Coat/stir constantly in the sauce for 8-10 minutes. Do the same with the lamb.

Reduce to low heat, simmer for 60 minutes with the lid on, and stir occasionally to ensure it’s not sticking to the bottom. Lamb must be cooked on low heat for 2-3 hours until it’s soft and melts in the mouth.

Optional: 20 minutes from the end of cooking time, add other vegetables, such as blended spinach leaves, potato cubes, diced red peppers, grated carrots, etc.

Just before serving, add chopped coriander and stir thoroughly. And keep a handful aside for garnishing.

Serve with yoghurt (any type; we like Greek yoghurt), white or brown rice, naan, and pickle.

VARIATIONS

– If you add blended spinach, don’t add fresh coriander

– Add one tin of coconut milk instead of one tin of tomatoes (so do half and half).

You can keep the chicken curry (once cooled) in the fridge for up to 3 days. I freeze portions, as it’s a time-consuming recipe. If you’re going to make it, cook loads!

– Substitute chicken for lamb; however, it will need an extra hour or two to cook.

Good luck, and do let me know how you get on!