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!

Slow cooked mutton curry with garam masala

Tags

curry, garam masala, indian, Lamb, mutton

Friends of ours recently returned from a trip to India and brought me back some spices, including garam masala for mutton. I decided to use the spices immediately and invite them over for a meal to taste. This is such a quick and easy recipe. Not too hot but incredibly flavourful. I served it with rice and chutney. If you cannot find mutton, no problem, simply use lamb instead.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 kg / 2lbs leg of mutton cut to bite-sized pieces
• 5 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 1/2 cm / 1″ piece ginger, roughly chopped
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 4 large tomatoes, thinly sliced
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 1 heaped tsp kashmiri chilli powder (or mild paprika)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons Greek yogurt
• 2 teaspoons coriander powder
• Pinch turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 2 teaspoons garam masala powder
• 2 green chillies, slit lengthwise (optional)
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped coriander leaves
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped mint leaves

Preparation:

Mix the garlic and ginger to a coarse paste and add to the lamb
Stir well and set aside for an hour or overnight if you have time
In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan heat the oil on a medium heat
Add the marinated lamb chunks and fry for 5-6 minutes stirring well to seal
Add the sliced tomatoes and cook for a further 8 minutes
The tomatoes will begin to break down and soften
Add the onions and chilli powder and stir well cooking for a further 3 minutes
Season to taste
Lower the heat and simmer with the lid on for 30 minutes stirring occasionally
In a bowl mix together the Greek yogurt with the ground spices: coriander, turmeric, cumin
Add this to the lamb and stir well
Continue simmering on a low heat and with the lid half over the pan for 45-50 minutes, stirring occasionally
Turn the heat off and while it’s still warm add the garam masala, chillies if using, coriander and mint
Enjoy!

Prawn and coconut curry

Tags

coconut, curry, prawns, Seafood, shellfish, shrimp

I used the medium prawns that are about 25 prawns to a kilo or half a pound.. These are wild caught, fresh prawns. I am rather fussy about my seafood and will only buy wild caught, not farmed, seafood of any kind. About 10 years ago, I watched a documentary on farmed salmon and shrimp and vowed never to eat farmed seafood again. It might be organic but it simply grossed me out so wild and caught in the ocean directly, it is. Luckily, I am able to buy it here without any problem at all and there is usually way more wild caught than farmed at the local market anyway. So, having stopped in at my friendly open air fishmonger at the Tuesday, Le Bugue market, I looked at what was on offer. Initially, I was thinking scallops but they were very expensive (they are part of the Christmas and New Years dinners here in France, so the price skyrockets during this time) and the fishmonger suggested some beautiful, fat, fresh prawns. So, it was decided – prawn curry was on the menu for dinner. Not being a huge fan of rice, I stopped in at the boulangerie on the way home and bought two fresh, still hot from the oven, naan breads. Side dish, tick.

Prawns and shrimp are sold in a number of different ways. If you are using, as I did, whole fresh ones, with the head and tail still attached, you will need 300g to 400g (11oz to 14oz) per person. If you are using frozen, or peeled ones then roughly half the weight will suffice.

Serves 3

Ingredients:

1 to 2 tablespoons canola oil
Onion, medium, finely chopped
Thumb-size piece fresh root ginger, grated
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon cumin
Pinch of chilli flakes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
250 ml / 1 cup coconut cream
1 tablespoon tomato concentrate purée
Whole medium prawns, 900g / 2lbs
Cilantro, a small handful, roughly chopped

 

Preparation:

Peel, shell and devein the prawns, set aside
Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat
Add the onion and cook until soft and translucent but do not allow to colour
Add the garlic and the ginger and lower heat to medium low
Add the spices and cook for a few minutes, add a drop of water if it starts to burn
Pour in the coconut cream and tomato purée
Stir in the prawns and cook for a few minutes more until they turn pink – take care not to overcook them or they’ll become tough
Sprinkle on the cilantro and serve immediately
Serve with basmati rice or naan bread (or both)
Enjoy!

 

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