On a cold grey rainy day,when I am feeling a bit blue or at home with nothing to do on a Saturday night, nothing cheers me up like making up a good chicken curry to lift the spirits. I am going to show you my Bengoli Chicken Curry and a Thai Green Chicken Curry. I like things very spicy so feel free to tone down the recipes and then add more fresh chillies later if you can handle them or give it a try and keep some mouth dousing plain yogurt to hand just in case I set you on fire!
BENGOLI CHICKEN CURRY
Ingredients:
Chicken on the bone with skin and fat removed [e.g. Chicken thighs]
Garlic
Ginger
Onions
Dried Whole spice : Cardammon pods, Cinammon/Cassia bark stick, Bay leaves, Crushed red chillies
Dried Powdered spice : Chilli, Tumeric, Corriander, Cumin, Garam massala
Tomato puree
1. Prepare the ingredients:
- Grate 3 cloves of garlic
- Grate a knob of peeled ginger
- Peel and finely slice 3 fat onions
- Wash and pat dry the chicken pieces
- Put 1 tablespoon of Canola/Rapeseed oil in a deep pan with a lid
2. Fry the onion on a low heat to soften and add a pinch of salt - takes 10 min to do this properly
3. Add the dry whole spices : 1 x stick of cinammon/cassia bark, 3 cardommon pods, pinch of dried crushed red chillies, 2/3 bay leaves
4. Fry for 2 minutes then add 4 teaspoons of red chilli powder [half this if you can't handle the heat], 2 teaspoons of tumeric, 2 teaspoons of cumin, 2 teaspoons of corriander powder and 1 teaspoon of garam masala powder.
5. Turn the heat up and stir rapidly [you need your exhaust on full] - add a tablespoon/dash of water
*it is important to fry the spices to get their oils out and make the sauce less powdery
6. Add tomato puree [2 large table spoons] and mix well to cook out for a minute [add another dash of water if it sticks and turn down the heat a bit]
7. Add the chicken and stir well to coat the pieces with all the mixture
8. Add a pint of water and scrape all the bits on the bottom of the pan - bring to the boil [make sure the chicken is just covered by liquid]
9. Put the lid on and turn the heat right down - simmer for 45 minutes
10. Check the seasoning and add more salt if required
11. Take off the heat and add fresh corriander chopped finely as a garnish
* If you have time let the curry sit and cool - it always tastes better the next day so you can make this in advance if you anticipate a need for a curry mood lift!
[All these spices are meant to increase your metabolism. I believe tumeric especially has antioxidant properties and is widely recommended. I have yet to try fresh tumeric - which you can apparently grate into your curry. I also like to eat mine with fresh green chillies if I want more fresh crunch and heat]
I served this particular curry with white basmati rice and a side dish of Aloo Bhaji with Peas = Fried potatoes with peas...This is because I had some potatoes that needed using and some frozen peas in the freezer!
Ingredients:
Peeled grated potatoes
Finely sliced onions and 2 cloves of garlic
Cup of frozen peas
Spices: Pinch of mustards seeds, pinch of black onion seeds, pinch of fenugreek seeds and pinch of cumin seeds, pinch of crushed dried red chillies, teaspoon of tumeric and teaspoon of garam masala
1. Fry the onions and garlic in 1 tablespoon of oil
2. Add the spices and mix well
3. Add the grated potatoes and cook for 5 minutes stirring constantly
4. Add the peas
5. Season and stir well - then pop the lid on and rest the pan off the heat for 5 minutes; Garnish with fresh corriander and a squeeze of lemon - if you have some.
NUTRITION: There is very little fat in these dishes - I have only used 1 tablespoon of oil per dish. In the chicken I have removed the skin and any visible fat - so the protein is lean. All the flavour comes from the chicken and the spices. If you leave out the carb ladden side dish and rice and just have some curry with a dollop of plain yogurt then this is a really healthy guilt free mood lifting comfort dish! Enjoy!
BENGOLI CHICKEN CURRY
Ingredients:
Chicken on the bone with skin and fat removed [e.g. Chicken thighs]
Garlic
Ginger
Onions
Dried Whole spice : Cardammon pods, Cinammon/Cassia bark stick, Bay leaves, Crushed red chillies
Dried Powdered spice : Chilli, Tumeric, Corriander, Cumin, Garam massala
Tomato puree
- Grate 3 cloves of garlic
- Grate a knob of peeled ginger
- Peel and finely slice 3 fat onions
- Wash and pat dry the chicken pieces
- Put 1 tablespoon of Canola/Rapeseed oil in a deep pan with a lid
2. Fry the onion on a low heat to soften and add a pinch of salt - takes 10 min to do this properly
3. Add the dry whole spices : 1 x stick of cinammon/cassia bark, 3 cardommon pods, pinch of dried crushed red chillies, 2/3 bay leaves
4. Fry for 2 minutes then add 4 teaspoons of red chilli powder [half this if you can't handle the heat], 2 teaspoons of tumeric, 2 teaspoons of cumin, 2 teaspoons of corriander powder and 1 teaspoon of garam masala powder.
5. Turn the heat up and stir rapidly [you need your exhaust on full] - add a tablespoon/dash of water
*it is important to fry the spices to get their oils out and make the sauce less powdery
6. Add tomato puree [2 large table spoons] and mix well to cook out for a minute [add another dash of water if it sticks and turn down the heat a bit]
7. Add the chicken and stir well to coat the pieces with all the mixture
8. Add a pint of water and scrape all the bits on the bottom of the pan - bring to the boil [make sure the chicken is just covered by liquid]
9. Put the lid on and turn the heat right down - simmer for 45 minutes
10. Check the seasoning and add more salt if required
11. Take off the heat and add fresh corriander chopped finely as a garnish
* If you have time let the curry sit and cool - it always tastes better the next day so you can make this in advance if you anticipate a need for a curry mood lift!
[All these spices are meant to increase your metabolism. I believe tumeric especially has antioxidant properties and is widely recommended. I have yet to try fresh tumeric - which you can apparently grate into your curry. I also like to eat mine with fresh green chillies if I want more fresh crunch and heat]
Ingredients:
Peeled grated potatoes
Finely sliced onions and 2 cloves of garlic
Cup of frozen peas
Spices: Pinch of mustards seeds, pinch of black onion seeds, pinch of fenugreek seeds and pinch of cumin seeds, pinch of crushed dried red chillies, teaspoon of tumeric and teaspoon of garam masala
2. Add the spices and mix well
3. Add the grated potatoes and cook for 5 minutes stirring constantly
4. Add the peas
5. Season and stir well - then pop the lid on and rest the pan off the heat for 5 minutes; Garnish with fresh corriander and a squeeze of lemon - if you have some.
NUTRITION: There is very little fat in these dishes - I have only used 1 tablespoon of oil per dish. In the chicken I have removed the skin and any visible fat - so the protein is lean. All the flavour comes from the chicken and the spices. If you leave out the carb ladden side dish and rice and just have some curry with a dollop of plain yogurt then this is a really healthy guilt free mood lifting comfort dish! Enjoy!
3 comments:
Oh I so want to visit you in Melbourne to see this live!!!
Shim, when does the TV series start?
mmmmmm this looks like my dinner! do the garlic & ginger go in with the onions or spices though?
moving out to oztralia at christmas so we'll have to swing by from sydney for a sample!
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