We are lucky to have a fabulous chef as our neighbor. She was born in and grew up in India, so she's
something of an expert when it comes to curries.
Sometimes she will bring us a container of her lamb shank curry, or chicken curry,
and on those nights, we are reminded just how much we love the complex, deep, aromatic and spicy flavors of Indian cuisine.
Once the days of social distancing are behind us, Shawyin is going to host a cooking class
in her kitchen. In the meantime, she was kind enough to share how she makes her chicken curry!
First I assembled the whole spices: star anise, a cinnamon stick, black Cardamom pods, green Cardamom pods, dried red chilies, and bay leaves. (Eliminate the red chilies unless you want it VERY hot)
I got everything I need at an Indian grocery store:
You will also need about 3 tomatoes, 2-3 red onions, and potatoes or yams if you want to add those (optional). I also added 1 1/2 green chilies because we like it HOT. Eliminate the green chilies unless you have a very high heat tolerance.
First, heat up about a quarter cup of oil (I use olive oil) in a big heavy pot, like a dutch oven or Le Creuset. Once the oil is hot (but not burning), put the whole spices in along with the chopped green chili, if using. I made 5 lbs of chicken and used 1 star anise, 5 black Cardamom and 5 green Cardamom pods, 1 cinnamon stick, 2 bay leaves.
Stir it all around for a few minutes to bloom the spices and allow them to flavor the oil.
While that's cooking, chop the onions and tomatoes (but make sure to stir the whole spices frequently and don't let them burn!)
After about 5 minutes of the whole spices cooking, add the onion, and cook them over low-medium heat for about 15 minutes, so they get very soft and show good color.
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| Onions before being cooked down |
Once the onions are browned, add your ground spices: 1 TBS Cumin, 1 TBS red chili pepper, 1 TBS Coriander, 1 Teaspoon Tumeric, 1 Teaspoon Curry powder (optional), 1 TBS Kosher salt.
(I also added 1/4 teaspoon of Garam Masala a bit later)
At this point, add 2 TBS of Ginger/Garlic paste. It's sold in Indian grocery stores, but you could add fresh minced ginger and fresh minced garlic (about 1 TBS of each) instead.
Mix the ground spices in well and continue cooking them for about 10 minutes. Keep stirring! Add water if the mixture gets dry. The spices need time to "bloom", and release their flavors. This is what my onion-spice looked like after cooking for 15 minutes:
After about 10 minutes, when the spice mixture is very fragrant, add the chopped tomatoes.
Stir and cook the tomatoes for at least 25 minutes. You want them to almost completely break down and the mixture should almost resemble a paste. Add water if needed. Don't let it dry out, and stir frequently!
Shawyin says you must be patient! The Masala (spice base) is critical and it takes time to deepen the flavors! It's all about reducing the mixture so the flavors get very mature. This is what my Masala looked like about 25 minutes after adding the tomatoes and some water:
While the Masala is reducing, prepare your chicken. I used 5 lbs. of chicken thighs and legs. Remove the skin and cut 1 or 2 slashes in the flesh of each piece so the masala marinade can permeate. At this stage, I also added some toasted coconut flakes and toasted White Poppy seeds. This is totally optional. I toasted 1 TBS of each a dry pan for a minute, then ground them in a coffee bean grinder.
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| Ground toasted coconut flakes and white poppy seeds |
Add the chicken pieces to the Masala mixture, and coat thoroughly. Stir and turn the chicken for about 20 minutes. After about 20 minutes, stir in approx. 2 cups of hot water and the 1/4 teaspoon Garam Masala, if using. Stir very well, cover the pot, and allow to cook for about 45 minutes to an hour on low heat. Stir the chicken occasionally so all the pieces are submerged and cook well. If using potatoes, add them to the pot about 20 minutes before the end so they don't get too mushy. I used Sweet Potatoes. ( I put mine in too early and they basically disintegrated).
After about an hour of cooking with the lid on, this is what I got:
The gravy should be thickened and your entire house should smell incredible! The flavors get better over time, so any leftovers will be even better. It also freezes very well.
I'm serving with Basmati rice and Naan to sop up all the Masala sauce! Sprinkle with cilantro if you have it.
Thank you and dhanyavaad, Shawyin!
