Keralan Chicken Curry

Keralan Chicken Curry

Serves 8

Time: 1 Hour

Ingredients:

Keralan Chicken:

· 2 kg boneless chicken thighs (trim excess fat)

· X 1 tbsp ground turmeric

· 250g fat free Greek yogurt

· Salt and Pepper

Curry:

· X 2 brown onions (halved and very thinly sliced)

· X 4 large tomatoes

· X 2 green chillies (stalk removed and finely diced)

· X 2 chicken stock pots

· 100ml reduced fat coconut milk

Curry Paste:

· X 1 thumb sized piece of ginger (peeled and roughly diced)

· X 10 garlic cloves (peeled and roughly diced)

· X 2 tbsp coriander seeds

· X 2 tbsp dried chillies (add more for a little kick)

· X 1 tbsp fennel seeds

· X 1 tsp whole black peppercorns

· X 2 pieces of cinnamon

· X 10 cardamom pods (seeds only)

· X 2 tbsp olive oil

Lime and Coriander Rice:

· 500g brown basmati rice (fine to use white also)

· X 4 tbsp fresh coriander (finely chopped)

· X 1 lime zest

· X 1 lime juice

Mint Raita

· 300g fat free Greek yogurt

· 30g fresh mint leaves

· 10g fresh coriander leaves

· X 1 thumb sized piece of ginger (peeled and roughly diced)

· X 4 spring onion (roughly chopped)

· X 1 tsp cumin seeds

Special Equipment:

· Blender

· Large pot/pan (if cooking smaller portions then not required)

Directions:

The night before:

· Combine the chicken, yogurt, turmeric, and salt/pepper and leave to marinade overnight in the fridge.

One hour to go:

· For the curry paste, put a pan on a low heat and add a splash of oil. Add the ginger and garlic and fry for 1 minute. Add the coriander seeds, chilli flakes, fennel seeds, black peppercorns, cinnamon, and seeds from the cardamon pods. Fry for a further 5 minutes turning frequently to ensure the spices do not burn. Transfer to a blender and blend into a fine paste (you can add a few tbsp of water if required). Once blended, decant to a bowl, and set aside.

· Wash out the blender and add the tomatoes. Blend until a liquid and decant into a bowl for later.

50 minutes to go:

· Put a deep/large pan on a medium heat. Add a splash of oil. Once the oil is hot, add the chillies and fry for 15 seconds. Add the onions and continue to cook through for 10 minutes. Add the blended tomatoes and continue to cook for an additional 3 minutes. Add the spice mix and stir to coat the onions in the mixture. Cook for 5 minutes. Turn the heat up on the deep pan and add the chicken. Cook for additional 5 minutes ensuring the chicken is well coated in the onion and spice mix. Add a splash of water, the chicken stock pots and season with salt and pepper. Place a lid on top and simmer for 25 minutes.

25 minutes to go:

· For the mint raita, combine the yogurt, salt, pepper, mint leaves, ginger, coriander, and spring onions and blend. Transfer the raita into a serving bowl. Put a small pan on a low heat. Add a splash of oil and add the cumin seeds. Cook until lightly toasted (2 minutes).

· Boil a pot of water and add the rice. Cook as per package instructions. Once the rice is cooked add the lime zest, lime juice and coriander.

5 minutes to go:

· Add the coconut milk to the curry and stir.

Once everything is ready serve on a nice big plate with plenty of the curry sauce and mint raita.