Keralan chicken curry with chillies and coconut milk

Tags

Chicken, coconut milk, curry, keralan, yoghurt

Kerala, located on the palm-fringed coast of South West India, has a very distinctive cooking style which reflects its verdant, tropical climate. Coconuts are abundant there and many recipes therefore call for the addition of coconut milk. The use of spices are generous yet not hot, rather very flavourful.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt, lightly whisked
• 1kg / 2lbs chicken on the bone, skinned and jointed
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 green birds eye chillies, slit length-ways
• 1 large white onion, thinly sliced
• 3/4 cup / 150g tomatoes, pureed to a smooth paste
• 1/2 cup / 125ml water
• 1/2 cup / 125ml thick coconut milk
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp freshly chopped coriander, to garnish

For the paste

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2.5cm / 1″ piece ginger, roughly chopped
• 8 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp coriander seeds
• 4 dried whole kashmiri red chillies (or any dried mild chillies)
• 2 heaped tsp fennel seeds
• ½ tsp black peppercorn
• 5 green cardamom pods, seeds only

Preparation:

Put the turmeric, yogurt and a pinch of salt in a bowl and mix well
Add the chicken pieces and leave to marinate for about an hour
Meanwhile, make the paste
Place a sauté pan over a low heat and add oil, followed by ginger and garlic
Sauté for about a minute, then add all the paste ingredients and continue to cook for 5-6 minutes until lightly coloured
Leave to cool, then put the mixture in a blender, add 50-70ml water and blitz to a fine paste
Set aside
Heat a heavy-bottomed non-stick pan over medium heat and add the 3 tbsp of oil
Add the birds eye chillies, letting them sizzle for a few seconds
Add the onion and cook until golden brown, about 8 minutes
Pour in the pureed tomatoes and stir well, cooking for 3 minutes
Add the spice paste and sauté for 4-5 minutes, stirring well, until the sauce thickens slightly
Increase the heat slightly and add the marinated chicken pieces, stirring well to coat them with the spice paste
Fry for 4 minutes until lightly coloured
Add the water and season to taste
Simmer, covered, for 25 minutes until the chicken is cooked through
Add the coconut milk, stir well and simmer for a further 5-7 minutes or until the sauce is slightly thickened
Garnish with chilli flakes or coriander and serve with rice and or poppadoms and chutney
Enjoy!

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Chicken with chorizo, potatoes, chickpeas and lemons

Tags

Chicken, chickpeas, chorizo, lemons, potatoes, spanish, stew

The smell when this simple, one dish meal is cooking, is simply fabulous. It takes about 10 minutes to prepare and then you sit back and enjoy a glass of white wine and wait for the oven to do its job. Make sure to have lots of fresh baguette on hand to mop up all that superb juice at the bottom of the dish.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 lemon, quartered (preferably organic)
6 to 8 pieces thighs and drumsticks
1 tablespoon paprika (sweet)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 medium potatoes, cut into chunks
200g / 8oz strong chorizo, cut into small chunks
12 cloves of garlic, peeled
400ml / 1 3/4 cup hot chicken stock
2 pinches saffron
1 tin chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained
Parsley, fresh, roughly chopped
1 cup Greek yoghurt

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 200C / 400F
Mix the paprika, the salt and pepper and 1 tablespoon olive oil together and massage into into the chicken pieces
Place the chicken in a roasting dish
In a medium bowl, mix the potatoes with the chorizo and the rest of the olive oil
Scatter around the chicken
Cover with a lid or aluminum foil
Place in the oven for 30 minutes
Remove the lid or foil, stir all, add the lemon quarters, garlic, hot stock, saffron and the chickpeas and return to oven for another 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked
Sprinkle with parsley
Meanwhile mix the yoghurt with a pinch of paprika and a pinch of saffron and stir well – serve alongside the chicken with lots of crusty baguette
Enjoy!

Spicy yoghurt chicken

Tags

cape malay, Chicken, rainbow nation, South Africa, spicy, yoghurt

This is a Cape Malay classic recipe that is so easy and yet so flavourful. The smell of the spices cooking will have everyone waiting around the table for the meal to be ready. If you do not have Greek yoghurt, regular plain yoghurt will do but the sauce will be thinner. It might not be the prettiest looking dish but it is one of my favourite go to recipes.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 chicken legs (thigh and drumstick)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 large onion, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, crushed (optional)
1 teaspoon ground ginger
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
500ml / 2 cups hot water
375 ml / 1 1/2 cups natural Greek yoghurt
Fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon garam masala

Preparation:

Heat the butter and oil in a large, heavy bottomed pan
Sauté the onion until translucent and starting to colour slightly
Add the garlic, ginger, salt and pepper and cook for about 5 minutes over medium low heat
Add the chicken portions and brown well
Pour in the hot water and simmer for about 45 minutes
Add the yoghurt, cilantro, turmeric and garam masala and stir well to combine all
Do not allow to boil but cook gently for 1 to 2 minutes to heat the sauce
Serve with rice or naan bread and some chutney
Enjoy!