Authentic Indian Punjabi Chicken Curry (0 syns)
This is truly the best curry you will ever taste. This is exactly how British Indians make chicken curry. The secret is finally revealed. This curry is gorgeous - flavoursome rather than something which burns your mouth.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings 4
Ingredients
- 2 medium sized sweet orange onions or 1 very large one
- 6 moons garlic or 1 frozen cube
- 1 inch ginger or 1 frozen cube
- 4 fresh green chillies chopped, deseeded or 2 small frozen 1cm cubes
- 1 tablespoon turmeric
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tablespoon Garam Masala
- 1 tablespoon Coriander
- 1 tsp tandoori masala
- 1 tsp curry powder optional
- 0.5 tsp dried crushed red chilli
- half can chopped tomatoes
- 4 tablespoons of Natural Yoghurt fat free
- 8-10 Chicken thighs or drums or a combination of skin and visible fat removed
- Vegetables of your choosing garden peas are good.
- Handful of fresh coriander
- Tilda basmati rice - for four people
Method
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Keep a cup of hot water on standby. You'll need it later on at short notice to stop the dish burning and going dry!
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Another important instruction is to keep stirring and never let the pan go dry.
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Always try to maintain the consistency of a wet paste. Add a splash of water again and again (when appropriate) to maintain the wet paste consistency.
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This dish needs to be cooked in a pan large enough to take all your meat and veg. This first part is cooked without the lid but the last third (signposted in the text) is with the lid on.
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Spray the pan with Frylight or some other spray oil and heat on MEDIUM-LOW heat.
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Fry off 2 medium sized sweet orange onions (or 1 very large one) - fry for 5-10 minutes
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Whilst browning, add 1 cube of garlic (or 6 moons),1 cube of ginger (or 1 inch) and 4 fresh green chillies (or 2 small frozen cubes) – keep stirring and fry for 2 minutes more.
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Add tumeric (1 tablespoon) and fry for 1 min. KEEP STIRRING AND DO NOT ALLOW TO GO DRY OR DARK BROWN/BLACK (black means the tumeric is burnt). Tumeric should change from yellow to a golden brown. Add a splash of water if it seems to be going dry. Remember - the consistency should always be that of a wet paste.
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Add salt (1 tsp) and fry for 30 secs more - again, do not allow tumeric to go black. Keep adding a splash of water if you need to.
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Now add in garam masala (1 tablespoon), coriander (1 tablespoon), tandoori masala (1 tsp), curry powder (1 tsp), red chilli (0.5 tsp). Cook spices through for around 5 minutes. Again, keep adding a splash of water to stop spices burning dry. The sauce should adopt a reddy brown colour.
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Add ½ can of chopped tomatoes and cook through for 5 minutes - put a lid on the pan to stop it drying out during this 5 minutes. Remember to stir throughout.
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Add yoghurt (4 tablespoons) - cook 1 minute more.
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Then add the meat – stir through for 5 minutes. Lid back on and then occasionally stir the meat – for around 20 minutes more.
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Finally, add a little more boiling water to the consistency you desire (half a cup to a cupful). Add your vegetables (garden peas work well). Lid back on and allow to cook through for another 20 minutes - stirring occasionally throughout. Add fresh coriander at the same time (about a handful).
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Serve with boiled rice (P.S. rice cookers are amazing).
Recipe Notes
Please note: Frozen cubes of garlic or ginger can be found in international supermarkets and in some major English supermarket stores. One rectangular cube measures 3.5cm x 3.5cm x 1.5cm.
For a different taste...
Add 2 tsp tamarind (2 syns) paste PLUS 1 tbsp dessicated coconut (4.5 syns) PLUS 1 whole finely sliced lemon grass. This will make it roughly 1.5 syns per serving.