My Favorite Chicken Curry Recipe

When the craving for curry hits you, its easy to go to a local deli and buy yourself a take-away curry or eat some in a rsuarant. But sometimes the curry you get from a deli tends to be bland and generic or overly hot, so its often a good idea to make yourself a pot of curry from scratch. That way, you will have some leftovers to eat the next day, and every curry lover knows that curry may taste great on the day you make it...but it tastes AWESOME the next day! Somehow, while it stands in the pot overnight, the spices all blend and take on the tasty attire of something really cosmic. Even a mediocre curry has the potential to become a shining star :)

The following recipe is for chicken curry and while it is spicy and full of interesting flavors, it is not too hot. As far as I'm concerned, one can enjoy an excessively hot curry now and then, but sometimes too much heat spoils the meal and leaves you gasping for water. I prefer curry to be slightly hot...but the spices must carry the tune. I haven't added any chillies to this dish...but you can feel free to add them, naturally.

What you will need :

butter and/ or oil

2 onions, peeled and sliced up thinly

6 big pieces of raw chicken, breast is good

15 ml dark vinegar

6 bay leaves

3 or 4 pieces garlic, peeled, cut and slightly bruised

8 cloves

a chicken stock cube ( optional )

fruit chutney , about half a cup

a piece of ginger about 3 cm big, peeled and slightly crushed or cut up

a stick of cinnamon

curry paste - 3 heaped tablespoons ( optional ) - if you dont have this, you can still make a great curry by using dry curry powders

curry powder -- about 4 level tablespoons ( it may sound a lot, but what I do is mix together a blend of all the curry powders in my own spice rack, and there are usually several variety's there at any given moment. I take 10 ml from a hot curry powder and 15 ml from a mild one, 10 ml from a spicy one and so on until I have added about 4 tablespoons curry powder to the dish. You can use your own inichiative here, if you dont want to mix up the powders, just use 4 tablespoons of your own favourite curry powder.

2 tomatoes, washed, peeled and cut into small chunks

5 large potatoes peeled, washed and each one cut into 4 quarters

A really big, deep pot ( I use a cast iron wok )

Now that you have all the necessary ingredients, you are one step closer to eating and enjoying your very own curry. Its always good to remember that all the curries you may ever make will have one thing in common and its the fact that they will NEVER taste the same. I assure you that even though you may use the same spices and ingredients as before, your end result will always differ in taste etc from your previous curries.It all has something to do with the ingredients you use, the spices etc.... and to get a really good curry flavour, remember to try and use fresh curry powder where you can. Spices tend to lie in warehouses for ages and lose their special powers as time passes.

Method :

Heat butter / oil in a fairly big pot or other suitable dish. Add the onions and cook on a moderate heat, stirring to prevent sticking, until they turn a golden brown color.

Toss in the bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon stick and ginger and cook together for a minute or 2 with the onions.

Add all the spices and curry paste and fry up briefly to release the flavour, taking care not to allow the mixture to burn. If its too thick, add some water.

Add the chutney, stock cube, vinegar and tomatoes. Stir to blend, then add the chicken and enough water to cover, put the lid on the pot and bring it to the boil. Turn the heat down to a moderate simmer and let it cook together, making sure you stir it every so often as it cooks. If it needs more water, add small amounts.You want the curry to have a rich sauce, so it mustn't be too watery.

When the chicken has been cooking for about 30 to 40 minutes, add the peeled potatoes, replace the lid and continue cooking, checking every so often on your water level. When the potatoes and chicken are tender and cooked, remove the lid...and if the curry is too watery, just continue simmering without the lid, stirring every now and then until the the sauce has reduced to your own liking. Take off the heat and serve. If you are not eating immediately, set aside and heat up thoroughly when you are ready to serve

This curry dish is fine served simply with rice or roti.....but if you like sambals you can decide on a few small dishes of relish etc to place on the dinner table. A sliced banana served up in greek yogurt is awesome with curry, as is a simple mix of finely chopped tomato and onion salad. Some people like grated cucumber and chillies in lemon juice or vinegar.The choice is yours...and no matter what sambal you choose, your meal will be delicious as long as you remember to include a few good friends to the mix. Good company is the Secret Ingredient to any fabulous meal!