Easy Chicken Curry
"Food is symbolic of love when words are inadequate.”- Alan D Wolfelt
Chicken is a constant in my kitchen. What with the children turning carnivores and I have to keep my sanity - the answer is any meat at the dinner table. Chicken is the easy answer. Be it a dry fry or a coconut based semi-gravy, the occasional craving for the cutlet, the much sought after kebabs or "a mind-of its-own " biriyani, chicken is something which is always cooked in my kitchen.
I remember though that during the growing up years, I was not a big fan. Neither am I now, I just need something easy to cook and close the dinner counter. As a child, I was a vegetable lover - Every parent's dream. I told you - I was a blessing. A blessing in disguise probably as my mom certainly did not think so. In Kerala, North Malabar to be exact - you are an outcast if you did not eat meat.
Imagine her plight when we had to survive two months of vacation in Mahe, when meat is served in one form or another for all three meals. Yes, we do eat meat at breakfast and that is not limited to eggs.
Breakfast was the least troublesome of all as we usually had variety and vegetarian options were always available. Lunch and dinner did have vegetable curries, but my mom and every person who saw me was persistent to feed the mal-nourished me. And my mom, unlike today's parents did not give options. So if there was a chicken curry for lunch, I better take a taste of it. One piece and one spoon of the curry was the bare minimum. I have amazing bargaining skills - so we landed on that One Spoon and one piece of the meat. I still remember how my plate looked when such curries were served. I would build a fort and keep that chicken piece banished till I finished the rest of the food. Finally, I would try to leave the table on some pretense, which always never worked. But then, I am a fighter, I tried this trick throughout the school years. Whoever said we grow wiser with age.
While all this war was raging on my plate, a war of another kind was on around me. My brothers and cousins are such voracious meat lovers that there was an adult at the table to solve fights about disappearing chicken pieces. Yes, if you are not on your guard, a piece of meat could easily disappear from the plate. The Irony was not lost on us. The one who did not want to eat was being force fed and the ones who wanted to eat were given rationed meat. The adults definitely did not appreciate the wisdom that we kids shared.
Years later, welcome to my new avatar. Now, I eat meat of all kinds. I specifically enjoy Beef, Lamb and Pork. "What's left ? "- you ask ? Well, Things Marriage does to you. :)
Today's recipe is an easy chicken curry, perfect for the weeknight dinners. This curry is for when you are in the mood to cook, but not willing to go all out. You can trust me to have a plethora of moods for all the cooking that has to get done.
Chicken - 2 lbs. ( Pieces with bone)
Marination :
Yogurt - 1 Cup
Ginger Garlic paste - 1 Tbsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Chilli Powder - 1 tsp or 1/2 tsp according to your taste.
Coriander Powder - 1 tsp
Punjabi Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Oil - 1 Tbsp
Marinate the chicken with the above ingredients for at least a minimum of 30 minutes.
Whole Spices :
Cinnamon sticks -2
Green Cardamom - 3
Black Cardamom - 2
Bay Leaves -2
Onion - 2 - Large ones - thinly sliced
Ginger Garlic paste- 1 Tbsp.
Green chilies - 2 - slit long
Tomatoes - 4 - Pureed ( Now, do not roll your eyes. I thought you wanted to cook)
Coriander-Cumin Powder - 1 tsp.
Punjabi Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp.
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp.
Chilli Powder - 1 tsp. ( Adjust spice according to your taste)
Warm Water - 1 Cup.
Oil - 2-3 Tbsp.
Coriander leaves - 5-6 stalks approx.- Chopped fine.
1. Heat oil in a pan. Add all the whole spices. Give it a minute for the spices to release the flavor.
2. Add the sliced onions and stir well. Cook on high heat till the onions sweat. Now simmer down, give it a good stir and cover and cook. We want the onions to cook well. So, give it some time. Check every now and then to ensure they do not burn.
3. Add the ginger garlic paste and stir well. Cook till the raw smell dissipates. Add the turmeric powder, chilli powder and coriander-cumin powder and give it a good stir.
4. Now add the green chillies and the tomato puree. Give it a good mix and cook till the masala is cooked.
5. Add the marinated chicken to the masala. Mix well till the chicken pieces are coated in the masala.
6. To this, add the warm water. Cover and cook till the chicken is cooked.
7. Add the Punjabi Garam Masala and mix well. Check for salt and consistency.
8. Cook on medium flame for longer till the curry reaches desired consistency. I prefer my curry with a thick gravy, so I cook longer till the gravy thickens.
9. Add the chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with rice or rotis.
Chicken is a constant in my kitchen. What with the children turning carnivores and I have to keep my sanity - the answer is any meat at the dinner table. Chicken is the easy answer. Be it a dry fry or a coconut based semi-gravy, the occasional craving for the cutlet, the much sought after kebabs or "a mind-of its-own " biriyani, chicken is something which is always cooked in my kitchen.
I remember though that during the growing up years, I was not a big fan. Neither am I now, I just need something easy to cook and close the dinner counter. As a child, I was a vegetable lover - Every parent's dream. I told you - I was a blessing. A blessing in disguise probably as my mom certainly did not think so. In Kerala, North Malabar to be exact - you are an outcast if you did not eat meat.
Imagine her plight when we had to survive two months of vacation in Mahe, when meat is served in one form or another for all three meals. Yes, we do eat meat at breakfast and that is not limited to eggs.
Breakfast was the least troublesome of all as we usually had variety and vegetarian options were always available. Lunch and dinner did have vegetable curries, but my mom and every person who saw me was persistent to feed the mal-nourished me. And my mom, unlike today's parents did not give options. So if there was a chicken curry for lunch, I better take a taste of it. One piece and one spoon of the curry was the bare minimum. I have amazing bargaining skills - so we landed on that One Spoon and one piece of the meat. I still remember how my plate looked when such curries were served. I would build a fort and keep that chicken piece banished till I finished the rest of the food. Finally, I would try to leave the table on some pretense, which always never worked. But then, I am a fighter, I tried this trick throughout the school years. Whoever said we grow wiser with age.
While all this war was raging on my plate, a war of another kind was on around me. My brothers and cousins are such voracious meat lovers that there was an adult at the table to solve fights about disappearing chicken pieces. Yes, if you are not on your guard, a piece of meat could easily disappear from the plate. The Irony was not lost on us. The one who did not want to eat was being force fed and the ones who wanted to eat were given rationed meat. The adults definitely did not appreciate the wisdom that we kids shared.
Years later, welcome to my new avatar. Now, I eat meat of all kinds. I specifically enjoy Beef, Lamb and Pork. "What's left ? "- you ask ? Well, Things Marriage does to you. :)
Today's recipe is an easy chicken curry, perfect for the weeknight dinners. This curry is for when you are in the mood to cook, but not willing to go all out. You can trust me to have a plethora of moods for all the cooking that has to get done.
Ingredients :
Chicken - 2 lbs. ( Pieces with bone)
Marination :
Yogurt - 1 Cup
Ginger Garlic paste - 1 Tbsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Chilli Powder - 1 tsp or 1/2 tsp according to your taste.
Coriander Powder - 1 tsp
Punjabi Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Oil - 1 Tbsp
Marinate the chicken with the above ingredients for at least a minimum of 30 minutes.
Whole Spices :
Cinnamon sticks -2
Green Cardamom - 3
Black Cardamom - 2
Bay Leaves -2
Onion - 2 - Large ones - thinly sliced
Ginger Garlic paste- 1 Tbsp.
Green chilies - 2 - slit long
Tomatoes - 4 - Pureed ( Now, do not roll your eyes. I thought you wanted to cook)
Coriander-Cumin Powder - 1 tsp.
Punjabi Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp.
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp.
Chilli Powder - 1 tsp. ( Adjust spice according to your taste)
Warm Water - 1 Cup.
Oil - 2-3 Tbsp.
Coriander leaves - 5-6 stalks approx.- Chopped fine.
Method :
1. Heat oil in a pan. Add all the whole spices. Give it a minute for the spices to release the flavor.
2. Add the sliced onions and stir well. Cook on high heat till the onions sweat. Now simmer down, give it a good stir and cover and cook. We want the onions to cook well. So, give it some time. Check every now and then to ensure they do not burn.
3. Add the ginger garlic paste and stir well. Cook till the raw smell dissipates. Add the turmeric powder, chilli powder and coriander-cumin powder and give it a good stir.
4. Now add the green chillies and the tomato puree. Give it a good mix and cook till the masala is cooked.
5. Add the marinated chicken to the masala. Mix well till the chicken pieces are coated in the masala.
6. To this, add the warm water. Cover and cook till the chicken is cooked.
7. Add the Punjabi Garam Masala and mix well. Check for salt and consistency.
8. Cook on medium flame for longer till the curry reaches desired consistency. I prefer my curry with a thick gravy, so I cook longer till the gravy thickens.
9. Add the chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with rice or rotis.
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