A long time ago I did a stage at The Cinnamon Club in London. I was in awe of the flavours and ingredients I saw there. They had a tomato-based recipe called ‘Old Delhi style’ curry. This version has slightly altered over time, but the core values I learned from chef Vivek Singh still ring true.
The wonderful thing about homemade curries is that the list of ingredients is merely a guide. I have shared this recipe with more people than you could shake a stick at; they have all added their spin and make it time and again. The marinating of the chicken is optional, so skip it if you don’t have the time, but you do get the benefit of an extra layer of flavour. This freezes well so it’s worth making a bigger batch to keep for a day when you don’t feel like cooking.
Timings
Prep time: 25 minutes, plus an optional 20 minutes of marinating time
Cook time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Serves
2
Ingredients
For the chicken and marinade
- 250g skinless, boneless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into bite-sized cubes
- ½ garlic clove, crushed
- 1 tsp finely grated root ginger
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- ½ tsp hot paprika, or to taste
- 3 tbsp thick Greek-style yoghurt, plus more (optional) to serve juice of ¼ lemon
For the curry
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 5cm thumb of root ginger, finely grated
- 2 green cardamom pods, crushed
- 1 tbsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp hot chilli powder, or to taste
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 2 onions, finely chopped
- 1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes, or 8 fresh tomatoes, chopped
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 red pepper, cut into bite-sized cubes
- 100g butternut squash, cut into bite-sized cubes
- 1 x 400ml can coconut milk
- 1-2 tbsp sugar, to taste
- lime juice, to taste
- coriander leaves, to serve
Method
- Put the chicken and all the marinade ingredients in a bowl with a pinch of sea salt. Mix well then cover and leave to marinate for 10-20 minutes.
- Put the oil in a large casserole over a medium heat.
- Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 2 minutes, then stir in the spices until they are aromatic. Tip in the chopped onions and cook until sweet (about 20 minutes). Don’t skip this step: the onions being cooked until their sugars are properly released makes a huge difference to the final curry.
- When the onions are ready, add the tomatoes and tomato purée and cook for 20 minutes.
- Now add the red pepper and butternut squash and cook for 10 minutes, or until the squash pieces are tender.
- Finally, add the chicken and its marinade and cook for 10 minutes.
- Pour in the coconut milk and taste: this is where you can create magic. When you taste the curry, ask yourself: is it hot enough? If not, add some extra chilli powder gradually. And don’t forget to taste in case you need a little extra salt. As for sweetness and acidity balance, use your judgement about how much sugar and lime juice to add, to round out the flavours.
- Rip over the coriander leaves and ripple with more yoghurt, if you like, both for a bit of visual drama and for that cool contrast to the spicy curry.
- Serve with plain boiled rice and/or naan or other flatbread, as the curry will be bursting with flavour and the contrast of the plain rice or naan will complement and give relief, so each bite is even more delicious.
Recipe from Cooking with Anna: Modern Home Cooking with Irish Heart, by Anna Haugh (Bloomsbury, £26)