Satnam’s Chicken Curry

This is my chicken curry recipe, heavily influenced by the way my mother makes chicken curry. My mother only adds the ground spices after she has added the pureed tomatoes. I incorporate dried fenugreek leaves which adds a nice sweet and nutty undertone.

Feeds six hungry people, serve with basmati rice.

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons of olive oil.
• 2 onions (about 350g), peeled, quartered.
• 50g ginger, peeled and roughly chopped.
• 35g garlic cloves, peeled.
• 45g green serrano chilies, tips removed, roughly chopped, or 3 green Thai chilies.
• 800g can of tomatoes.
• 1 teaspoon of ground turmeric.
• 2 teaspoons of ground cumin.
• 2 teaspoons of ground coriander.
• 1 teaspoon of red chili powder.
• 6g of dried fenugreek leaves (Kasoori methi).
• 1kg of skinless boneless chicken thighs.
• 500ml of just boiled water.
• 1 teaspoon of garam masala.
• A small bunch of coriander leaves (cilantro leaves), roughly chopped.

Recipe

1. Heat the 4 tablespoons of oil in a large pot under medium high heat.
2. Puree the onions very finely in a food processor.
3. Add the pureed onions and mix with oil.
4. Add ½ a teaspoon of salt and mix (don’t skip the salt, it is needed to properly cook the onions).
5. Cook the onions for about five minutes. You want most of the water to evaporate from the onions and when you stir them they should come together and farm a ball.
6. While the onions are cooking, blitz the ginger, garlic and green chilies in a food processor.
7. When the onions are cooked and dry enough (they won’t brown) add the ginger, garlic and green chili mix and cook for another 3 minutes or so until the aroma of these ingredients is evident.
8. Finely puree the can of tomatoes and mix them into the pot.
9. Add 1½ teaspoons of salt, the ground spices, and the fenugreek leaves and stir well.
10. Chop the chicken thighs into bite size pieces and throw into the pot.
11. Add 500ml of water.
12. Turn the heat down to medium, and cook for about 7 minutes, until the chicken is just cooked through (keep testing by cutting into bits to check). Stir now and then. Add more water if required to produce a nice thick gravy that is not too watery.
13. Mix in the garam masala and corinader leaves.
14. Serve with basmati rice.

It will taste better tomorrow.