Wednesday, February 04, 2004
Chicken Pal-Curry (Milk Curry)
Generally Coconut Milk, though regular milk has worked in a pinch.
Finely slice 2 onions.
Add a tablespoon or so of oil to a dutch oven, heat over medium. Add a few cloves, cardamon pods, and a small stick of cinnamon to the oil and fry till the oil is fragrant, the cardamon pods lightly browned, and the cinnamon stick uncurls. Add the onion and fry, lowering the heat slightly, till the onions sweat their moisture, then dry to turn light brown.
Add 2 large cloves of garlic and 1 inch of ginger, both in a very fine julienne, and green chillies to taste. Saute with the onions till the fragrance is no longer as raw.
Make a paste with 1/2 tsp chilli powder, 1/4 tsp turmeric powder, 2 tsp coriander powder, 1/4 tsp cumin powder, 1 tsp salt and a little water. Add this to the onion mixture, and again, cook till you can no longer smell the raw spices in the mixture.
Add 1 (small) whole chicken, cut into 16/18 pieces. Cook over medium heat so the spices soak into the chicken, and the outer layer of the chicken turns opaque. This takes 5-10 minutes.
Add 1.5 cups of water, separately brought to a boil. Bring the chicken to a simmer, then cover and let cook for 5 minutes.
Add 3-4 russet potatoes, peeled and halved (quartered if they are big potatoes, but you want them large as they will disintegrate a bit in the sauce). Simmer for 20 minutes, till potatoes are quite soft.
Add 1 cup of thick coconut milk. Turn temperature to low, and simmer for a few minutes to combine flavors of the coconut milk with the curry.
Separately, heat (in a small container) a tablespoon of oil to about 350F. Add 1/2 tsp of mustard seeds (black), heat them for a minute till they splutter and flavor the oil, then about 10 curry leaves. The curry leaves will splutter quite a bit initially.
Pour the hot oil mixture onto the chicken curry, give it a quick stir, and cover.
Serve with rice, bread, or appam.
Finely slice 2 onions.
Add a tablespoon or so of oil to a dutch oven, heat over medium. Add a few cloves, cardamon pods, and a small stick of cinnamon to the oil and fry till the oil is fragrant, the cardamon pods lightly browned, and the cinnamon stick uncurls. Add the onion and fry, lowering the heat slightly, till the onions sweat their moisture, then dry to turn light brown.
Add 2 large cloves of garlic and 1 inch of ginger, both in a very fine julienne, and green chillies to taste. Saute with the onions till the fragrance is no longer as raw.
Make a paste with 1/2 tsp chilli powder, 1/4 tsp turmeric powder, 2 tsp coriander powder, 1/4 tsp cumin powder, 1 tsp salt and a little water. Add this to the onion mixture, and again, cook till you can no longer smell the raw spices in the mixture.
Add 1 (small) whole chicken, cut into 16/18 pieces. Cook over medium heat so the spices soak into the chicken, and the outer layer of the chicken turns opaque. This takes 5-10 minutes.
Add 1.5 cups of water, separately brought to a boil. Bring the chicken to a simmer, then cover and let cook for 5 minutes.
Add 3-4 russet potatoes, peeled and halved (quartered if they are big potatoes, but you want them large as they will disintegrate a bit in the sauce). Simmer for 20 minutes, till potatoes are quite soft.
Add 1 cup of thick coconut milk. Turn temperature to low, and simmer for a few minutes to combine flavors of the coconut milk with the curry.
Separately, heat (in a small container) a tablespoon of oil to about 350F. Add 1/2 tsp of mustard seeds (black), heat them for a minute till they splutter and flavor the oil, then about 10 curry leaves. The curry leaves will splutter quite a bit initially.
Pour the hot oil mixture onto the chicken curry, give it a quick stir, and cover.
Serve with rice, bread, or appam.
