A fragrant curry, this Indian chicken stew is a real crowd pleaser, for more flavour we prefer thighs, just cook for an extra 20 mins
Serves
4
Cooking time
30 mins
Ingredients
4 chicken breasts, cut into 6 pieces each and dusted with salt, pepper and flour
3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 star anise
2.5cm/1in cinnamon stick
3 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
4 cloves
6 black peppercorns
1 blade mace
2 green chilli’s, chopped
20g fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
1 tsp ground turmeric
2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
250ml/14fl oz coconut cream
150ml water
3 large plum tomatoes, deseeded and chopped
Method:
Heat one tablespoon of the vegetable oil in a large pan over a low heat. When the oil is hot add the cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, cloves, peppercorns and mace. Fry until the spices start to crackle, then add the chilli, ginger and onions.
Fry the spices and onions for 5-10 minutes over a low heat until onions are translucent. Now add the turmeric, coriander, black pepper and cinnamon powder and continue to fry for 2-3 minutes.
Add the coconut cream and the water and heat to a gentle simmer.
Next add the cooked chicken pieces and the tomatoes and poach gently over a low heat with the lid off for about 20 minutes, or until the chicken is completely cooked through, keep an eye on the pan to make sure it doesn’t dry out, you should end up with a nice sauce the thickness of cream. If it looks like there won’t be enough liquid put the lid on while the chicken cooks.
Serve with steamed rice, this is a wonderfully fragrant and creamy curry.