Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Chicken Curry with Tomato and Coconut Milk


My friend Sid, who regularly sends me enticing videos showing how to prepare delicious traditional Indian recipes, told me that I should "check out" a bloggers' event: cooking from the fabulous book 660 Curries.

Well, cooking from scratch ... Indian food ... curries ... spices ... sigh ... :)

Chicken, lamb, vegetables, lentils, oh my! Familiar favorites were featured, of course. But there were also interesting and intriguing items such as a savory dish combining pineapple, coconut, and coffee; a chili- and fenugreek-infused matzah ball soup; and ivy gourd, a bitter vegetable resembling a mini cucumber, that I'd never heard of.

As I skimmed through the book, there was a swirl of tastes and aromas and fragrant spices dancing in my head. What to cook? What to make?

Well, I needed to do something immediately, tempted as I was. And since my entire freezer door is filled with mostly Indian spices - I'm serious! I've got cardamom, curry leaves, cumin seeds, black sesame seeds, Garam Masala, and others - I had the basics for making a fabulous dish. So, then, I had chicken thighs, lentils, spinach, some leftover coconut milk; what could I find from the 660 options to make right away?

The Chicken Curry, made with coconut milk and a tomato - a classic.

I substituted ground ginger for fresh, and I used chicken thighs rather than the boneless chicken breast cubes that the recipe called for; therefore, I needed to cook the dish for longer than indicated. But it turned out beautifully - tender, flavorful, a wonderful dinner! It was such a nice, easy meal for a cold, cloudy fall day.

Chicken Curry with Tomato and Coconut Milk
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 4 large chicken thighs
  • 1 small red onion, chopped
  • 4 medium garlic cloves, minced
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons ginger
  • 2 teaspoons Madras curry powder (tends to be a hotter blend)
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 cup coconut milk
  • 1 medium tomato, chopped
  • jasmine rice and mango chutney, for serving
Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet; add chicken and cook, covered, 10 minutes per side until golden brown. Uncover skillet and remove chicken to a plate.

Drain most of the fat, then add onion, garlic and ginger; cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until onion is softened. Add curry powder, salt, and coconut milk; bring just to a boil.

Return chicken to skillet skin-side up, turn heat down to medium, and add tomato. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, until sauce is thickened.

Serve with mango chutney and jasmine rice.

Serves 4.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

So many choices, yet this is the one I would have chosen to make too! I love, love, love classic chicken curry! And now, of course, it's all I'll be craving today!!

Cranberry Morning said...

Okay, I'm doing this! I love curry, love chicken, and I think I have all the ingredients on hand unless I already used that can of coconut milk. Sounds delicious!

Chris said...

I love curry, it's the favorite flavor profile that is new to me in the past 3 years. No one in my family growing up ate it and my family now doesn't care for it. I'm the only one that loves it but I do the cooking so they can bite me, lol.

I like this dish a good bit, I might make a version with pork.


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