Chicken Curry

Well, as it stands, I'm not sure whether we're gonna make it to Ibiza this weekend. Oscar has got chickenpox three days before the flight so we'll just have to see...anyway in the meantime this is my submission to CF Talk's food issue:

Woody’s Quick Chicken Curry Recipe (Serves 2)

Ingredients:

• Chicken Legs/Thighs (4-6 pieces, leave on the bone)
• Onion (chopped)
• Garlic (1-4 cloves to taste, chopped)
• Ginger (small piece, peeled and chopped)
• Chillies (1-4 to taste, chopped)
• Tin Chopped Tomatoes
• Whole Garam Masala mixture, (ground with a pestle and mortar or spice grinder)
• Vegetable Oil
• Rice

Instructions:

1. Add the oil to a non stick pan or non stick casserole dish.
2. Add the chicken pieces and lightly fry them for 2-3 minutes until they are golden (no need to cook through)
3. Take them out and put them in a bowl for later
4. Add the onions, fry for 2-3 minutes until golden brown
5. Add the freshly ground garam masala. The frying pan should be hot enough to heat the spices through so that the lovely flavour really comes bursting out.
6. Add the garlic, ginger, chillies. fry for a minute
7. Add the chicken back in
8. Add the chopped tomatoes, add water to taste (the more water you add the longer it will take to reduce down to a thick sauce)
9. Bring to a boil, put the lid on, turn the heat down and then simmer slowly with the lid on for about 30 minutes.
10. You can check the chicken is cooked through by skewering it with a knife down to the bone; if the juice runs clear, you’re sorted.
11. For the rice, get one cup full of rice, two cups of water should do for 2 people.
12. Add to a saucepan, bring to a boil and then simmer for about 10 minutes when the rice should be ready. Stir occasionally to make sure it doesn’t stick.

This is my basic student curry recipe and it probably saved me from malnutrian when I was a student. I like chicken on the bone because it has more flavour and doesn’t dry out like chopped chicken can. You can adapt it in loads of ways; if you don’t want chicken on the bone? Chop it up. Want it with lamb or beef, fish or prawn? No problem, just remember lamb or beef may need longer to get tender, and don’t over cook the fish. If you want to add mushrooms and peppers, go for it. Want to add yoghurt or chopped coriander at the end? Simple, but turn the heat off and stir the yoghurt in really gently. You can buy ground Garam Masala from the shops but it loses it’s flavour really quickly so I would always recommend the whole spice version. You can pick up the whole Garam Masala mix from most supermarkets these days and all Asian grocers sell it.