Several years ago, I was introduced to Indo-Chinese food and a dish that was loaded with chiles and curry leaves. It sounded a bit weird (some things on the menu were completely unfamiliar and I was wary at first, and a short time later, I affair with curry leaves that has not stopped.
Usually, that's been in a restaurant, then someone pointed me here. A south Indian curry that is made kosher because it uses coconut oil instead of ghee. It's rich, filling, and deliciously simple. I did boost the spices:
- 500 g chicken (thigh or breast) pieces
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1 large onion, sliced into half moons
- 1 Tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- 10 curry leaves
- 2 green chilies, finely chopped (I used two tiny Thai chiles and two jalapeños)
- 1 tsp red chili powder
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 1/2 cups water (I used vegetable broth here because I didn't want the taste of the chicken broth to overwhelm the coconut
- salt, to taste (I recommend lightly salting the chicken before cooking, that's just enough to enhance flavors )
- Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat, add onions and fry until they turn brown.
- Add the curry leaves and green chilies, stir and cook for a few minutes.
- Add the chicken pieces, coconut milk, chili powder, turmeric, cumin, salt, and water and cook on a low heat until the chicken is tender.
I served this over basmati rice, with an appetizer of store-bought papadum and some mint chutney (I can eat enough mint chutney to count as a serving of vegetables). The sauce wasn't as thick as I usually like, but when I had the leftovers, I simmered it for some extra time to make that happen.
This one will be going into heavy rotation. I've also got some other recipes in mind from the Nosher. There's a fabulous assortment there.
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