Custom Search

Recipe for "chicken-curry"

NAME

     CHICKEN-CURRY - Chicken curry
     This recipe is the real thing.  Throw out your curry powder:
     you'll  never  use  it  again once you've tried this recipe.
     Chicken curry using the real spices cannot be beat!!

INGREDIENTS (serves 2-3)

     1         chicken
     1 piece   fresh ginger (about 2 cm of a ginger root)
     12-14      garlic cloves
     1         large onion
     1         cinnamon stick
     2         whole brown cardamom pods
     4         whole green cardamom pods
     1         whole star anise (use all 8  arms  and  the  seeds
               inside them)
     12-14      black peppercorns
     6-8        cloves
     5 ml      turmeric
     5 ml      red chili powder (or substitute fresh red chilies,
               diced)
     2         green chilies
     125 ml    yogurt
     60 ml     oil (preferably ghee, if available)
     salt      to taste
               fresh coriander leaves (optional)

PROCEDURE

          (1)  Clean and joint chicken.  If you  don't  like  the
               skin, remove it.
          (2)  Mash the ginger into a paste (or chop finely)  and
               mince the garlic.
          (3)  Heat oil in a large frying pan. Use ``medium  high
               heat''.
          (4)  Break apart the star anise to  release  the  seeds
               inside  the arms.  To the frypan, add onions, cin-
               namon stick, cardamom pods, star aniseed,  pepper-
               corns,  cloves,  garlic and ginger. Be careful not
               to burn the garlic.  Saut  until  the  onions  are
               cooked but not browned.
          (5)  Add the chicken, turmeric, and  chili  powder  and
               cook on a medium heat, stirring often.
          (6)  When the oil starts to separate  (the  gravy  will
               have  oil floating on its surface), add the yogurt
               and cook till the chicken is done and the gravy is
               thick. Finally, add the fresh coriander leaves.

NOTES

     This is the basic recipe. Try  varying the whole spice  com-
     binations  until  you  find  a favorite.  The recipe doubles
     well.
     A cardamom pod is not the same thing  as  a  cardamom  seed.
     Make  sure  you  get  the pods. A pod is about the size of a
     pea, and contains seeds inside  it.   Don't  substitute  the
     ground  version  of any of the whole spices, the effect will
     not be the same. And don't use white cardamom pods.
     You may want to remove the smaller  whole  spices  prior  to
     adding  the  yogurt so that unwitting guests don't eat them.
     Try the recommended  quantity  of  garlic.  The  flavour  is
     surprisingly  subtle.   More yogurt makes more gravy. Also a
     longer cooking time.  Vary the amount  of  chilies  to  suit
     your  taste.  This recipe is medium hot.  I hope this satis-
     fies your mouth-hunger.  The spice quantities may be  varied
     to suit your preferences.

RATING

     Difficulty: easy, though timing  matters  when  cooking  the
     onions.   Time:  20 minutes preparation, 11/2 hours cooking.
     Precision: measure the oil.

CONTRIBUTOR

     Joseph Sotham
     University of British Columbia, Vancouver BC
     joseph@ubc-medgen.cdn
     It is better to travel happily than to arrive