Add a little spice to your life ;) - Chicken Curry

18:10 Unknown 0 Comments

Well who knew I could cook a curry! When I was little I would watch my mum in the kitchen cooking her curries for family parties and gatherings, I would always think to myself how on earth am I going to learn! I used to watch her and think to myself when I'm older and in my own home and hosting a meal I will just order from an indian takeout and dish the food out in a typical desi pot so it would look like I cooked it LOL. Thank god my mum taught me well because believe me takeouts certainly do add up and you all know how expensive it would be to order for big families! This chicken curry is one of my first meat curry I learnt to cook and I didn't think it could be so easy! I hope you all find this recipe just as easy as I did and won't need to ever order a curry out when you have guests round! 
Feeds: 7

Ingredients:
     - 1 and 1/2 whole chicken cut 
     - Sunflower Oil
     - Coriander seeds
     - 3 / 5 Whole Cardamom (how ever much you prefer)
     - 5 peppercorns
     - 7 Cloves
     - 2 Large Cinnamon Sticks (broken in large pieces) 
     - 3 Large Onions sliced finely
     - 1 Tin of Blended Chopped Tomatoes (or 4 large fresh tomatoes blended)
     - Red Chilli Powder
     - Cumin Powder
     - Coriander Powder
     - Chilli Flakes
     - Turmeric Powder
     - Ginger Garlic Paste
     - Blended Green Chillies
     - Salt
     - Red Chilli Powder (canadian/kashmiri, optional) 
     - Fresh Coriander
     - Largely cut potatoes or tin potatoes cut in half 

Method:
     - Lets grab a pot and add:
                - Sunflower Oil
                - Coriander Seeds
                - 3 / 5 Whole Cardamom (how ever much you prefer)
                - 5 Peppercorns
                - 7 Cloves
                - 2 Large Cinnamon Sticks (broken in large pieces)
                - Add the sliced onions and cook all together till golden brown in colour.
     - Add the tin of blended Chopped Tomatoes

(Guys remember this is to cook 1 and 1/2 whole chicken, if your cooking less then add smaller amounts. As an alternative to the tin of blended chopped tomatoes you can add fresh tomatoes or 4 large ones (chopped) in accordance to this recipe, but, if your cooking less meat I would advise 3 / 4 tablespoons depending on the amount of meat).
     
     - Cook for 15 minutes on slow heat with a lid on, occasionally stirring.
     Okay guys lets add a little spice to our life, add to the pot:
                - 1 1/2tsp Red Chilli Powder
                - 1 1/2tsp Cumin Powder
                      - 3 1/2tsp Coriander Powder 
                - 1tsp Chilli Flakes
                - 1tsp Turmeric Powder
                - 2 1/2 Large heapful tsp Ginger Garlic paste
                - 1 1/2tsp Blended Green Chillies
                - 2tsp Salt
                - Red Chilli Powder (Canadian/kashmiri one, again this is optional) 

     - Again stir well and cook on slow heat with a lid on. Be sure to stir often so the masala doesn't burn.

       (Have a little taste incase you need to add more spices, your all great chefs so trust your instinct when it comes to taste).

     - Add Fresh Coriander to the masala.

       (Chefs, if you feel like the masala is cooking too fast and is burning add a little water, about half a cup, this will slow it down and also stop it from sticking to the pan which means you don't have to keep getting up to stir).
     
     - Add the meat once the masala is cooked. 
     - Leave to cook on slow heat with the lid on for 10/15 minutes.
    - Add some lukewarm water (as much as you want it to be soupy) and Add the chopped potatoes too.
     - Let this cook till the potatoes are soft and switch off.
     - Garnish with fresh coriander and your good to serve. 
This can be serve with roti/chappati or brown/white rice whatever your preference is.

(Quck tip! With curries it's always good to take your time and let the spices cook for longer to enhance and enrich the flavour, as my momma taught me 'the longer the better'!).