[blindcooks] Re: Recipe - basic chicken curry
- From: "Susan Tabor" <souljourner@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <blindcooks@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 4 Apr 2014 23:26:18 -0500
Great to hear from you, Valerie! If you find your Indian recipes too, I'd
love to have them! Thanks!
Cheers,
Susan
-----Original Message-----
From: blindcooks-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:blindcooks-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Valerie
Sent: Friday, April 04, 2014 6:06 PM
To: blindcooks@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blindcooks] Re: Recipe - basic chicken curry
Rob, this curry sounds really delicious, I love Indian food too, now it's
getting cooler here, I might give this recipe a try as we have chicken in
the fridge If you have other recipe, please do share.
Cardamom here is expensive about eight dollars an ounce if you buy it in the
pods as I usually do. I have the green and brown and have used the Thai
cardamom too, it's a far more delicate flavour. Brown cardamom is more a
smoky flavour and the green fresh tasting and they aren't interchangeable in
dishes just in case anyone opts for a cheaper one because of colour. At one
stage a white cardamom was sold here, but that's not been around for a while
as apparently there were some concerns that the pods were being bleached in
peroxide!
If my computer hard drive is fixeable, very guilty of not saving so much,
will I ever learn? I had a few really nice Indian recipes there so if they
are retrievable, I'll share, but I'd also love to receive any Indian recipes
that people can share, Indian food is really delicious.
Apologies if this post is scrabbly, I'm using a very unfriendly loan laptop
that I really don't like typing on, the keys are so close together.
I'll let you know if the curry is made, I had bought the chicken it for a
Thai dish, but now I'm thinking curry might be the way to go Best Valerie
-----Original Message-----
From: blindcooks-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:blindcooks-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Susan Tabor
Sent: Saturday, 5 April 2014 8:59 AM
To: blindcooks@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blindcooks] Re: Recipe - basic chicken curry
Hi, Rob:
Thank you so much for this recipe! I love Indian food and was lacking a good
chicken curry recipe.
I would welcome any other Indian recipes you could share, including some
good chutney recipes. Thank you so much!
Cheers!
Susan
-----Original Message-----
From: blindcooks-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:blindcooks-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Rob Hudson
Sent: Friday, April 04, 2014 9:35 AM
To: blindcooks@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blindcooks] Recipe - basic chicken curry
For a long time now I have been experimenting with Indian cooking and
curries. I spent a lot of money on various spices ordered online, since
there are no Indian groceries within fifty miles of here. Kind of sad,
actually.
Anyway, what follows is a recipe for a basic chicken curry that can be made
in thirty minutes. Feel free to vary it as you like; Indian cooking provides
lots of room to improvise.
Basic Chicken Curry
Nakes 4 to 6 servings
3 large cloves fresh garlic, peele
6 quarter-size slices peeled fresh ginger
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
2 large tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 / 2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro, including soft stems
1 to 3 fresh green chile peppers, stemmed
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 bay leaves
5 green cardamom pods, crushed lightly to break the skin
2 (1-inch) sticks cinnamon
1 1 / 2 tablespoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon garam masala + 1 / 4 teaspoon for garnish (see notes)
1 / 2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 / 4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
1 / 2 cup nonfat plain yogurt, whisked until smooth
1 (2 1 / 2 - to 3-pound) chicken, skinned and cut into serving pieces
(discard the back and wings; see notes)
1 cup water, or more as required
Cilantro sprigs
1. In a food processor, process together the garlic, ginger, and onion until
minced. Remove to a bowl. Then process together the tomatoes, cilantro, and
green chile peppers until smooth. Remove to another bowl and set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat and cook the bay
leaves, cardamom pods, and cinnamon, stirring, about 30 seconds. Add the
onion-garlic mixture and cook until browned, about 7 minutes. Add the
tomato-cilantro mixture and continue to cook, stirring, until all the juices
evaporate and the oil separates to the sides, about 7 minutes.
3. Add the coriander, cumin, 1 teaspoon garam masala, turmeric, salt, and
black pepper, then mix in the yogurt, stirring constantly to prevent it from
curdling, and cook, stirring, until it is incorporated into the sauce.
4. Add the chicken pieces and stir about 5 minutes to brown them. Then add 1
cup water, cover the pan, and cook over high heat, about 5 minutes.
Reduce heat to moderate and cook until the chicken is tender and the sauce
thick, about 30 minutes, turning the pieces over a few times and adding more
water if you prefer a thinner sauce. Transfer to a serving dish, garnish
with garam masala and cilantro, and serve.
Notes: Garam Masala can be easily mixed up. A basic mixture has cinnamon,
cloves, cardamom, pepper and bay leaves. There are lots of different
mixtures called Garam Masala, but this is the most universal. A well-stocked
regular supermarket might have it, also, if there is no Indian grocery
nearby.
If you don't want to bother with a whole chicken, boneless pieces can be
substituted. Add half chicken stock and water in step four, if you want, to
get the full flavor. I usually don't use bone-in pieces, because I eat a
lot at the computer and it becomes a bit of a mess.
You can serve this along with plained boiled basmati rice and flat bread. If
you don't feel like making Indian flatbread, you can use tortillas. Yes,
this actually works pretty well.
This dish can also easily be adapted for the slow cooker. Once you have
mixed in the spices and yogurt, you can remove the dish from the pan and add
it to a slow cooker and cook on low about four to six hours. Reduce the 1
cup water to one half cup. I do this often, actually. Many Indian dishes are
almost perfectly designed without any modifications for slow cookers,
because that is how they are traditionally made. The dish is assembled in a
pot, the lid is placed on, and a strip of dough is wrapped around the seal
between pot and lid to prevent any steam from escaping. The pot is then
placed in the ashes of the fire and allowed to simmer very slowly. It is
still done a lot these days because many Indian homes do not have stoves.
I have some other recipes for things like biryani, lamb curry and rogan josh
I can share that use this technique, if anyone is interested.
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