25 September 2010

Chicken & Cauliflower Curry

The recipe for this curry was entitled "North Indian Chicken Curry" by Anjum Anand, however, as I have no idea whether the inclusion of some cauliflower still renders it qualifying for the term "North Indian", I've left it off of the title.

I had had a break from making curries and we'd been sampling hubby's curry making skills (which are legendary).  However, I'd found myself hankering for another go, particularly a go where you build the curry flavour from scratch - as opposed to making use of a jar of curry paste.  The one challenge I had was to ensure the curry had a "curry" flavour - as opposed to being just a highly spiced casserole.

This curry certainly met that challenge and was downright jolly successful.  I served it with plain basmati rice, some Peshwari naans and a home-made raita.  I found the raita went together with the curry perfectly - the combined flavours were gorgeous and I'd definitely make a raita to go with it again.  Oh, and don't be scared of the four garlic cloves - you don't notice them!


So, here's the recipe :

CHICKEN & CAULIFLOWER CURRY

Ingredients :

4 tbsp oil
2 cloves
1 stick cinnamon, or 1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 green cardamom pods
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 medium onion, chopped
1.5 tbsp grated ginger
4 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
0.5 tsp ground turmeric
1 tbsp ground coriander
0.5 tsp chilli powder
4-5 tbsp tomato passata
500g chicken breast, diced large
5-6 cauliflower florets, sliced
1 handful coriander leaves, chopped.

Method :

1.  Heat the oil in a large non-stick pan until it is quite hot, but not smoking.  Add the cloves, cinnamon (if a stick), cardamom pods and cumin seeds and fry for about 20 seconds until aromatic.

2.  Add the onion and cook for around 10 minutes until golden brown, stirring often to prevent it burning.  Stir in the ginger and garlic and cook, stirring, for 40 seconds before adding a pinch of salt and the ground spices (included cinnamon, if the ground variety) and stir for 15 seconds or so.

3.  Pour in the tomatoes and cook over a medium heat for around 10 minutes or until the liquid in the pan has dried off and the oil leaves the side of the dry masala.

4.  Add the chicken and brown (or white!) over a medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes.  Add the cauliflower and stir to make sure it is covered in sauce.  Add enough water to almost cover the chicken, bring to the boil and then cook over a low heat until the chicken is cooked through.  I cooked it with a lid for around half the cooking time, to ensure that the chicken and cauliflower cooked, then turned the heat up and reduced the sauce until it reached the consistency we prefer.  The slower it cooks, the better it tastes - so try not to rush it!

5.  Once you're happy with the consistency and the chicken and cauliflower are cooked and tender, mix in the coriander leaves and serve.

Delicious!

4 comments:

  1. Ah!..Curry, now you come into my domain. I love my curries, l don't go out buying them, as a take-away, or eat at a restaurant. I MAKE MY OWN....! So no two curries are ever the same...!
    And, yes, l still think chicken is the best meat to use, it will absorb the spices, better than most meats. I always make a curry on Sunday, enough for 2-3 meals in the week. And quite often add to it, if there's anything left over. I have had a pot of curry on the go for a month before now, getting better ALL the time.
    Mind you, come Thursday, l have to remove my turban.....! Ha!
    The Sausages look lovely, (good enough to eat).
    Must admit, l also prefer a courser meat, hence my love for salami. (What mafioso is'nt).
    But, you cannot beat a gooood pork sausage.
    Do you know, the one thing, they NEVER, use off a pig, AND, every part of a pig is used, except this one thing........................The Squeak!
    Perhaps they ought to introduce it to the Bubble.......ooooooh!
    And, l've got my trotters on the go, surrounded with potatoes, carrots etc......In my biggest pot......So, no baths for me for a few days...!
    Looking forward to making a 'pig' of myself tomorrow....!
    What shall l do with all the left-over bones.....
    Well, thread them on some string....And wear them round my neck, of course.....!
    Love my fooood....! :-).
    Better go, before l get barred....Again.....Good old Tescos...! :) Nite...Nite...Eat Well...!

    ReplyDelete
  2. LOL Willie, I can't see you wearing a pig's trotter bone necklace - not unless you find a way of dying the bones pink! *grin*

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yep the proof is in the pudding...er curry. I think when a lot of people look at a recipe with curry in the name they expect to see curry as an ingredient. Like, add 2 tbsp of curry powder or to taste. Well good on you for giving hubby a rest from making it. I wonder if he approved...  ツ

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. As I recall, he did! lol At any rate, he's not made a curry since - so perhaps it was too good! lol

      Delete

I love to receive messages from you all, so if you can spare the time, comment away!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...