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, and finely chopped
• 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 pureed 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).
• 1 kg 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. Hand chop the onions into small squares..
3. Add the pureed onions and mix with oil.
4. Add ½ a teaspoon of salt and mix.
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 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. Add 2 teaspoons of salt, the ground spices, and the fenugreek leaves and stir well.
9. Finely puree the can of tomatoes and mix them into the pot.
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 25 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 coriander leaves.
14. Serve with basmati rice.

It will taste better tomorrow.