Chicken curry

This is true weeknight nostalgia for me. It’s probably the curry my parents made most often growing up because it’s easy, relatively cheap and, obviously, delicious.

Time to create: 1 hour 15 minutes (includes 30 minutes to marinade)

Ingredients

Curry:

  • Oil (coconut or sunflower) - 2 tbsp

  • Black mustard seeds - ¼ tsp

  • Fennel seeds - ½ tsp

  • Cinnamon - half stick 

  • Curry leaves - 10

  • Brown onion - 1 diced

  • Green chilli - 1-2 (optional)

  • Turmeric - ½ tsp

  • Tomatoes - 3 (cut into eighths)

  • Potato - 300g (peeled and cut nito 2cm cubes)

  • Coconut milk - 50ml

Marinade:

  • Fennel seeds - ½ tsp

  • Peppercorns - ½ tsp 

  • Garlic cloves - 4 (peeled)

  • Ginger - ½ inch (peeled)

  • Salt - ¼ tsp

  • Roasted Sri Lankan Curry Powder - 2 tbsp

  • Chicken - 1kg (diced into small cubes, bones included)

Method

  1. Start by making the marinade - add fennel seeds and pepper corns to a pestle and mortar and grind to a powder. Add garlic, ginger and salt and bash to a paste.  Add to a bowl along with the chicken pieces and roasted curry powder. Use your hands to mix well and coat the chicken. Cover and set aside for at least 30 minutes. 

  2. Place a medium-sized sauté pan over a medium-high heat and add the oil. Once hot, add the mustard seeds, fennel seeds and cinnamon. When the seeds start to spit, add the curry leaves, onion and green chillies (if using). Once the onions have softened and coloured a little, add the tomatoes and cook for a few minutes.

  3. Add the chicken and turmeric and mix everything together. Cover with a lid and cook over a medium heat for 15 minutes.

  4. Give everything a mix, then add 200ml water and the potatoes. Simmer for 15 minutes until the potatoes are just cooked but not too soft.

  5. Finish with 100ml coconut milk, then serve.

Return to meal plan