When I was little and still living in Cyprus we had a group of Indian friends who attended our church. I don’t know if you have had the privilege of having any Indian friends, but if you have, you know that they are some of the sweetest, kindest, and generous people. I have nothing but good memories with these beautiful individuals. And on top of their caring hearts, their cuisine is just out of this world!
One of my dreams is to be able to replicate one of their mouth watering dishes. So I took it upon myself to take a couple of Indian cooking classes.
I was very happy with how the dish turned out. It makes me eager to explore this incredible genre of food even more!
Disclaimers: the only liquid in this recipe is the juice that the chicken will produce. So If you want a more “saucy” curry add in a can of crushed tomatoes. Secondly, this recipe will take a bit of time. Everything will be cooked on low to medium heat. I am slowly learning that patience is the key to extracting incredible flavors.
Alrighty, so, let’s start!
- 3-4 tablespoons oil (neutral flavor)
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 tablespoon garlic paste
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 1/4 c fenugreek
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2-2 teaspoon Indian chili or sub cayenne (I used 2 tsp Kashmiri chili powder)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 can crushed tomatoes (optional-for saucier version)
- 900 grams boneless chicken thigh
- 1 teaspoon Garam Masala
Before you start it’s important that you have all your ingredients fully prepared so that you don’t burn your spices (while frantically trying to mince garlic for example). Been there, done that. Learn from my mistakes. 😉
South Indian Curry
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients:
3-4 tablespoons oil (neutral flavor)
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 medium onion diced
1 tablespoon garlic paste
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1/4 c fenugreek
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2-2 teaspoon Indian chili or sub cayenne (I used 2 tsp Kashmiri chili powder)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon coriander powder
250g tomato paste (optional-for saucier version)
900 grams boneless chicken thigh
1 teaspoon Garam Masala
Direction
1. Heat oil in large pot on medium heat.
2.Once hot, toss in your cumin seeds and stir. You can see if the oil is hot enough by sprinkling in a few seeds to start. If they sizzle you’re ready to go. (If you burn your seeds, and they turn black, you should redo this step.) Stir them for about 1 minute.
3. Add your onion. Stir often for 5 minutes.
4. Add fenugreek. Cook and stir regularly for 5 minutes.
5. Now toss in your minced garlic/ginger paste. Stir for 1 minute.
6. Add the rest of your spices. Cook for 2 minutes. Stir so not to let them burn.
7. Now is the time to add the crushed tomatoes if you want to. Cover and bring heat to low. Let it cook for7 minutes
8. Add chicken and stir for 1 minute.
9.Cover and let it cook on medium-low for 10 minutes. Then stir, and repeat but only partially covered.
10. Last step, toss in your teaspoon of Garam Masala and stir. Let cook for one more minute and you’re done!
Soul Food 