SIMPLE CHICKEN ‘CURRY’

Those who follow me on Instagram would have read my little spiel on the word ‘curry’.

The word ‘curry’ is said to have been anglicised from the Tamil word ‘kari,’ meaning sauce. ‘Curry’ is not a term used in India. It was actually invented by the British to describe Western dishes that had been spiced, and was a way of introducing their love of Indian cuisine to the West during the British Raj.

Here is my simple method of making this ‘everyday’ chicken curry; I say ‘everyday’ because it was one of those dishes my Mum would whip up as a quick, easy meal when she was pressed for time or there were limited ingredients to hand. The simple ingredients for this recipe were always in our family home, and still are at mine!

Ingredients:

1 small onion, sliced

A paste consisting of: 1 small onion, 2 large garlic cloves, a thumb-sized piece of ginger and 1-2 fresh birds eye red chillies (depending on your chilli tendencies!)

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground, dried turmeric

A few tbsps of yoghurt

1 kg skinned chicken pieces (preferably thigh with bone)

2 large tomatoes, chopped finely (or half tin of chopped tomatoes)

Water, about 150ml

1 heaped tsp garam masala

Salt to taste

Method:

1- Fry the sliced onion in a large frying pan until softened and browned, then remove and allow to drain on kitchen paper.

2- Meanwhile, in the same pan add the onion, garlic, ginger, chilli paste and allow to cook through for a few minutes; then stir in the cumin, coriander and turmeric.

3- After a few minutes of sizzling, and when you see the paste drying slightly, add a tablespoon of yoghurt at a time, and blend well into the ‘tadka’ – continue with each spoon of yoghurt this way.

4- Add the chicken pieces and stir.

5- Add the tomatoes and water, mix well and allow to simmer.

6- Pop the lid on and allow the chicken to cook through – mix intermittently and add extra water if the ‘sauce’ appears to be drying out.

7- Add salt to your taste, throw in the fried onions from step 1, and the garam masala.

8- Stir well and allow the sauce to thicken slightly.

9- Garnish with some fresh coriander and serve.