Contrary to Kasi beliefs, curry isn’t a yellow rice nor is it made by Rajah. Ok, firstly “curry powder” isn’t a specific spice, its actually a spice blend. ANYONE can make their own and it can have any combination of spices of Indian or Asian origin. The “curry powder” we know is mostly a Western thing to help the Brits along as they were a bit confused by all the various Asian spices so the Indian merchants would sell the spice mixes already mixed, this became known as “curry powder”.
You also get a wet curry mix, this is usually of Thai origin but some Indian cuisine also uses a wet mix. The common denominator in most curry blends is the use of chillies (although this isn’t essential).
Curries can be made from anything, chicken, beef, mutton, fish, vegetables, beans, lentils etc etc. Traditionally they are served on their own with a combo of starches. This is my chicken curry recipe. Up to you if you make it hotter or not but I recommend serving it in its own bowl on the side with Jasmine rice or with Naan bread.
Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon paprika
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root
1/2 teaspoon white sugar
salt to taste
2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves – cut into bite-size pieces
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup plain yogurt
3/4 cup coconut milk
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Method:
– Fry the onions in a pan with some butter, when the onions become translucent add the chicken cubes
– Fry off the cubed chicken breast until it’s a golden brown colour and we’ll sealed and now add all the spices and garlic. Mix well.
– Squeeze lemon juice into the pan and mix
– Add the tomato paste, it will cause a layer at the bottom of the pan as you stir, this is ok as long as it doesn’t burn. To get the sharp tomato taste out you need to cook the chicken in the tomato paste for as long as possible.
– add the rest of the ingredients and allow to simmer and thicken.
What I’ve found is that the curry tastes better after its rested and the chicken has been given time to absorb the various flavours.
Chef Lesego
Chef Lesego's Blog 