Indian chicken curry
Jan. 12th, 2025 10:09 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
injunjaneThis recipe was given to me by an Indian colleague, Abhishek, when I was doing an internship in the US several years ago. He was born and raised in India, so I assume this is more or less how it’s actually done there.
There are two “secrets” behind this curry. The first, unfortunately, is lost to me: Abhishek used special Indian spices that he brought from home. I now use Tandoori Masala curry powder, but his mix definitely had more to it—hot chili pepper, garlic, and also the fruits of Berberis vulgaris (what we call “barbaris”). They added a very distinct flavor I haven’t been able to fully recreate.
The second secret is what Abhishek called the cornerstone of Indian cooking:
“You put the ingredients together and cook them long enough that you can’t recognize what the dish was originally made of.”
In practice, that means the curry needs to stew for a long time—at least 45 minutes if you’re using fresh chicken breasts, and 50–55 minutes if the chicken was frozen.
So, the recipe:
1 large onion
2–3 tablespoons sunflower or peanut oil
3–4 chicken breasts
3–4 tablespoons tomato paste
Curry powder, salt, garlic, hot chili powder
Peel the onion, cut it in half, and slice each half as thinly as possible to get long, fine strips. Wash the chicken breasts and slice them crosswise into fairly large pieces. Place the onions and chicken into a pan. (Abhishek fried everything directly in the saucepan he later used for stewing; I prefer to fry the onions and chicken in a frying pan first and then transfer them to a saucepan.)
Add the spices and oil, and fry for about 5 minutes—just long enough for the meat to turn white. Then add salt, tomato paste, and boiling water (around 0.5 L, just enough to cover the slices and leave a good amount of liquid for stewing). Cover and simmer on low heat for 45–55 minutes.
For the rice:
Rinse the rice in a saucepan, then add freshly boiling water so it stands about 1–1.5 cm above the rice level. Add a teaspoon of salt and a tablespoon of sunflower oil. Stir, cover, and cook until all the water is absorbed and the rice is soft.
Serve the hot curry with the rice. It’s enough for 3–4 people - enjoy :)
There are two “secrets” behind this curry. The first, unfortunately, is lost to me: Abhishek used special Indian spices that he brought from home. I now use Tandoori Masala curry powder, but his mix definitely had more to it—hot chili pepper, garlic, and also the fruits of Berberis vulgaris (what we call “barbaris”). They added a very distinct flavor I haven’t been able to fully recreate.
The second secret is what Abhishek called the cornerstone of Indian cooking:
“You put the ingredients together and cook them long enough that you can’t recognize what the dish was originally made of.”
In practice, that means the curry needs to stew for a long time—at least 45 minutes if you’re using fresh chicken breasts, and 50–55 minutes if the chicken was frozen.
So, the recipe:
1 large onion
2–3 tablespoons sunflower or peanut oil
3–4 chicken breasts
3–4 tablespoons tomato paste
Curry powder, salt, garlic, hot chili powder
Peel the onion, cut it in half, and slice each half as thinly as possible to get long, fine strips. Wash the chicken breasts and slice them crosswise into fairly large pieces. Place the onions and chicken into a pan. (Abhishek fried everything directly in the saucepan he later used for stewing; I prefer to fry the onions and chicken in a frying pan first and then transfer them to a saucepan.)
Add the spices and oil, and fry for about 5 minutes—just long enough for the meat to turn white. Then add salt, tomato paste, and boiling water (around 0.5 L, just enough to cover the slices and leave a good amount of liquid for stewing). Cover and simmer on low heat for 45–55 minutes.
For the rice:
Rinse the rice in a saucepan, then add freshly boiling water so it stands about 1–1.5 cm above the rice level. Add a teaspoon of salt and a tablespoon of sunflower oil. Stir, cover, and cook until all the water is absorbed and the rice is soft.
Serve the hot curry with the rice. It’s enough for 3–4 people - enjoy :)
