I love curry as usual naturally wheat and gluten free. For a chilly summer day, this is a delicious home-cooked authentic chicken curry experience. This is a very simple chicken curry recipe. It really is one of the easiest chicken curry recipes out there, without compromising on flavor.
I say easy, because the only small quibble you can have when preparing Sri Lankan food is access to the ingredients. If you don’t live near an area that caters well to spices, just head to Waitrose, which has a wide range of spices. Yes, the spices are more expensive at Waitrose, but you’ll leave the store with a more manageable amount of spices (rather than the bulky bags of spices you may end up buying at local Indian shops).
If you have a hard time finding fresh curry leaves, I was delighted to find them at Tesco. They make a world of difference in the final dish.
You can also manipulate the ingredients to make this a mild chicken curry recipe. For example, you can skip the cayenne pepper and choose “mild” curry powder from your local supermarket.
When you try this recipe, you will soon appreciate that this is one of the easiest chicken curry recipes, and definitely the best. Who would complain about throwing a bunch of ingredients into a pot with dinner served about 40 minutes later! And it’s full of flavor and spice without biting.
This is definitely my favorite curry recipe of all time!
Ingredients
900 g chicken thigh or breast
Marinade
6 large garlic cloves, crushed
4 cardamom pods, crushed
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 heaping tablespoon tomato paste
½ teaspoon garlic puree
½ teaspoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon rapeseed oil
1 red onion, sliced
3 garlic cloves, crushed
¼ teaspoon cloves
¼ teaspoon mustard seeds
3 large tomatoes, diced
¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon fennel seeds
½ thumb-sized ginger, minced
¼ teaspoon tamarind paste
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
5 stems of curry leaves
150ml coconut milk
Salt to taste
preparing the marinade
Trim all visible fat from chicken thighs. This is the only time consuming aspect of the recipe. It’s worth a try with some kitchen shears when you realize almost half the chicken is fat! In a bowl, add the chicken, crushed garlic, curry powder, tomato paste, garlic puree, and lemon juice. Mix well. Let marinate for at least 30 minutes.
methods
1. Add oil to a large saucepan. Add the sliced red onions and fry for a couple of minutes. I would add salt at this stage as onions absorb salt well.
2. Next, add the crushed garlic, cloves, mustard seeds, and tomatoes. Stir for a few seconds and then add the fenugreek seeds. Cook until the tomatoes create a paste-like texture.
3. Tilt chicken, stir well, and add 1-2 cups of water (or enough water to completely submerge chicken). Cook over high heat for 5 minutes.
4. Add cumin powder, fennel seed, ginger, tamarind paste, cayenne pepper, and ground cinnamon.
5. Cover and cook over medium heat for 10-15 minutes.
6. Uncover and add the curry leaves.
7. Simmer partially covered for another 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
8. Add the coconut milk and serve with rice and a salad.