Preparing the
Chicken
Remove the skin from the chicken then wash it thoroughly
four to five times. Peel the skin off the onions and
finely chop them. Shred the garlic into very fine pieces
and mash or cut the ginger. Grind the whole cinnamon
and cardamom (with shells) together to a coarse powder.
Cooking
Pour enough oil to just cover the base of a dry medium
to large saucepan and heat until the oil is very hot
but not smoking. Add the garlic and the onions to the
oil. Fry until the onions brown. Remove the saucepan
from the heat and leave to stand.
Place all the spices (turmeric, cumin powder and chilli
powder) into a small cereal bowel. Add about half a
cup of water and mix. Pour the spice mixture into the
onions. Fry on a medium heat until most of the water
evaporates but ensure that the spice mixture does not
burn. Add the chicken and stir until all the chicken
is coated. Reduce to low heat. Add the salt, tomato
and ginger and cook for 10-15 minutes. Then add enough
water to just cover the chicken. Place a lid on the
saucepan and bring to boil. Reduce to medium heat and
simmer for 30 minutes or until the chicken is tender.
Add the cardamom/cinnamon powder 10 minutes before
the chicken is served. Mrs Pal's chicken curry is ready
to be served straight away but tastes even better the
next day!
Fast Track Curry (for people in a hurry!)
Start the recipe as above but add the chicken first
into the onions, then the spices directly onto the
chicken, followed by the tomato, ginger and salt .
Stir vigorously for 5 minutes on a high heat and add
enough water to cover the chicken.
The curry is ready in 30 minutes.
Tips
It is easier to remove the skin from chicken thighs
than drumsticks. You could try using a clean tea towel
or cloth to help hold the skin when pulling.
The most important step is frying the onions thoroughly
as this determines the quality of the curry sauce.
Anita Pal recommends you serve the curry with Basmati
rice.
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