INDIAN STYLE CHICKEN CURRY

 

Another family favourite here – it’s great for getting onto the table really quickly when you’ve rushed in from work. I use chicken breasts for this recipe, as they cook so quickly. In fact they can go quite tough if you over-cook them; so for best results I tend to have everything else cooked before I add the chicken.

It’s suitable for the whole family too, for although it’s called a curry, it’s more spicy and flavoursome rather than blow-your-head-off hot.

Minus the chicken, it works perfectly as a vegetarian option too – I add cauliflower florets, baby corn and 1inch lengths of French beans, but I’ll leave it to you to pick your own favourites..

I have no idea why this was called ‘Indian-style’ chicken curry, when it’s got Greek yoghurt and sun-dried tomato paste as an ingredient.. Thankfully, the name doesn’t affect the delicious taste.

EQUIPMENT:

• A large, shallow pan or a cooking pot
• A saucepan to cook the rice.

INGREDIENTS: to feed 4-6 people.

• 2 teaspoons of cumin seeds
• Some low-calorie spray, or a dessertspoon of oil                                     
• A large onion, peeled and cut into fine wedges
• 1 red, and 1 green pepper, deseeded and thinly sliced
• A large finger of ginger, peeled and grated
• 3 large cloves of garlic peeled and grated
• 1 teaspoon of Paprika
• 1 teaspoon Turmeric
• 1 teaspoon of ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon of plain flour (optional – I honestly never use it)
• 1 green chilli, deseeded and chopped
• 4 skinless chicken breasts, each cut into 3/4 pieces
• 1 x 200g tub of Full-Fat (see NOTES) Greek yoghurt
• 2 heaped teaspoons of sundried tomato puree

METHOD:

• Heat the pot, and dry-fry the cumin seeds; you will need to keep a close eye on them, as they can burn in a heartbeat.  When they are ready, a delicious aroma will fill the kitchen.
• Add some low calorie spray or oil
• Throw in the peppers and onions, a splash of cold water, and stir in.
• Reduce the heat, and cover the pot, and allow to cook gently – gently mind! – for about 10 minutes until they are well softened.
• Then stir in the ginger, garlic and chilli.

 

• Add the flour (if you’re using it – did I mention that I don’t?), all the spices, and the chicken, and cook on a medium heat, keeping it all moving for about 5-10 mins until the chicken has changed colour. Keep an eye here, and add a little more water only if the spices stick on the bottom of the pan. There shouldn’t be a lot of liquid in this recipe.
• Allow to cook, uncovered, on a low heat until the chicken is cooked ( about 5 minutes). **If you’re planning to freeze it, just go as far as here in the recipe**
• Remove from the heat and let it sit for a few minutes.
• Mix the sun-dried tomato paste into the yoghurt, then put it all into the curry. Leave it to acclimatise for a minute or two, then blend gently into the mixture in the pan. It should all turn a lovely creamy reddish colour

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Taste, and add salt as needed.

I serve this simply, with naan bread and plain basmati rice.

NOTES:

• If you’re going to make this today to either serve tomorrow or to freeze, follow the recipe until ** To complete the recipe,  add the yoghurt and  sun-dried tomato paste when you’ve reheated it fully. As soon as the chicken is cooked, remove the pot from the heat – you don’t want over-cooked Chicken breast!
• A word of warning – its best to use the full fat Greek yoghurt, as half-fat, or fat-free yoghurt tends to split when you add it to the hot sauce. Whilst it doesn’t affect the taste, it can look a bit strange, and all you need is one person at the table to comment on it…
• You’ll have noticed that apart from the yoghurt, there is no added fat in this recipe, so I always consider it to be a healthy option for dinner. Without the flour, it’s also Gluten-free, as far as I know (I’m not an expert on Gluten-free cooking)
• You can of course use either a low-fat or fat-free yoghurt, but my advice in any case is to remove the pot from the heat, and allow it to cool for 5 minutes before adding the yoghurt, to reduce the chance of it splitting.
• This curry works  particularly well as a vegetarian dinner too – I use whatever’s about – I particularly like cauliflower, baby sweetcorn and sugar-snap peas. A tin of Chickpeas adds extra protein!