Chicken Sneakaloo

Noms / April 23, 2010 / John / 0

So we invented a curry last night. Couldn’t decide what to make so in the end we decided to make it up as we went along. And it turned out pretty good too. It’s fairly fiery, with lots of sour onion flavour but very nomworthy. Here’s what we did.

Ingredients

• 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
• 1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 5 tbsp vegetable oil
• Approx. 1 tbsp butter
• 1/2 inch stick of cinnamon
• 5 cardomom pods
• 3 cloves
• 2 large onions
• 2″ cube of ginger
• 4 cloves of garlic
• Enough chicken breast to feed two, cut into small bits
• 2 curry leaves
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1tsp ground cumin seeds
• 1 tsp tomato puree
• Water
• 3 hot green chillies, finely chopped with seeds kept in.
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 2 tbsp yoghurt
• fresh coriander

Method

Heat a deep heavy pan with nothing in it. Roast the fenugreek seeds, black mustard seeds and cumin seeds for a couple of minutes (but cover or the mustard will pop all over the place). Empty the roasted seeds into a mortar and grind until smooth. Set aside.

Heat the oil in the pan until very hot. Add the butter and allow it to discolour – top tip: the more the butter ‘burns’, the redder the end product will be.

Finely chop the onions, ginger, and garlic and add them to the hot oil, stirring constantly until golden brown. Add the roasted spices and continue frying for 2-3 minutes. Add chicken and stir continuously until chicken is browned and sealed.

Crumble in the curry leaves and add the cayenne, paprika, coriander, cinnamon, cumin and tomato puree. Stir until everything is absorbed. Add enough water to cover all and make a thin sauce and bring to the boil.

Turn down the heat, add the chopped green chillies, and simmer until reduced and beginning to dry. The sauce will go fairly thick quite quickly.

Stir in the garam masala then add the yogurt, one teaspoon at a time, stirring until completely absorbed. Add the fresh coriander, cook for a further minute, then serve with loads of rice.

cooking, curry, noms, recipe

John

UNIX geek, wannabe cook, musician, book-lover, and all round good-guy.