Topic: beautiful chicken curry

[madpower]

Even though i know nobody will try this recipe which is a shame because it is so damn good i just had to post it in the hope someone will,it beats all my local Ta's ,i dont think they will be seeing me again,there is a lot more depth of flavor,trust me you will be glad you put in the effort and once you have made it you will see it is not as complicated as it might sound ,this recipe is enough for 2 to 3 servings

firstly you need to make some crispy onions,so thinly slice one medium sized onion and cook in 1/2 cup of veg  oil in a saucepan on a medium heat until dark brown,remove from oil and set aside
in the same pan fry 2 large onions gently with lid on until soft and golden,put the onions along with the oil into a blender and liquidize until smooth and set aside

This is the important bit,i learned from a pro chef the secret to getting maximum flavor out of whole spices is not to stir them,if you do then the flavor will not be there,add to a clean saucepan enough veg oil just to wet the bottom,add 1 tblsp of finely diced onion sprinkled all over the oil,now drop in 4 green cardamon pods,3 cloves,break some cinnamon stick length ways and add 3 pieces about 2 inch long and 1 star anise  and a tej petta leaf spread apart,cook this on a very low heat until the onions are light brown,i try to cook for about 20 mins before sprinkling in a few crushed black pepper corns and coriander seeds,a pinch each of fennel and cumin seeds along with the seeds from 3 green cardamon,again do not stir,gently fry until the onions are a dark brown,now add 1 tblsp of gg paste and a desert spoon of green chilli paste and a sprinkle of red chilli flakes ,give it 1 gentle stir and cook the pastes out gently,take of the heat and you can now add the rest of your ingredients which are salt to your taste,a squeeze of lemon juice,a desert spoon of chopped fresh mint,tblsp of chopped coriander herb,3 tblsp of natural yogurt,1 tsp each of turmeric,cumin,coriander,1/2 tsp each of chilli powder,curry powder ,fenugreek leaf and garam masala,also add the brown crispy onions give it a good stir and cook this very gently for 15 mins before adding the liquidized onions with the oil,cook for 5 minutes before adding sliced tomato,pre cooked onion chunks ,pepper,chicken add a dash of water if to thick and cook for further 10 mins,finish of by stirring in 1/2 tsp each of paprika and garam masala,remove the whole spices before serving

like i said it is not as complex as it sounds,i do hope someone cooks this i cant see any curry lover not loving this one

[Peripatetic Phil]

It all sounded very good, MP, until I reached the yoghurt & mint, and then I began to have reservations.  In your opinion, how essential are these to the success of your dish ?  I appreciate that it would be a different recipe if they were omitted, but it would be closer to my personal taste.

** Phil.

[madpower]

Hi phill,i start all my traditional curries off using the same technique with the diced onion and whole spices and i always end up with more quality curries than ever before,so i would give it a go without the mint and yogurt but i would replace the yogurt with fresh tomato to cook the ground spices in,you dont get the taste of the mint but it certainly gives the sauce something i would go ahead with it,i think you will be surprised,to be honest if i made the curry for you i dont think you would be able to tell that it had mint or yogurt in it,i can tell if other curries contain yogurt but not this one

[Peripatetic Phil]

Fair enough

[madpower]

Good on you,cant wait to hear back

[Secret Santa]

It all sounded very good, MP, until I reached the yoghurt & mint, and then I began to have reservations.

I had the same thought, although the yoghurt doesn't phase me too much as that's an authentic curry addition. But might I suggest that, as I will if I get around to making it, you cook up to the stage where the mint and yoghurt are about to be added and at that point divide equally into two pans cooking one half with the additions and one half without? The contrast should be interesting.

Also this method bears a close resemblance to the one time I got a proper bhuna flavour to my curry. Something, despite repeated attempts, and much to my chagrin, I was never able to repeat. 

[Peripatetic Phil]

Ah, "a proper bhuna" flavour.  THOSE were the days ...
** Phil.

[madpower]

Even though i know nobody will try this recipe which is a shame because it is so damn good i just had to post it in the hope someone will,it beats all my local Ta's ,i dont think they will be seeing me again,there is a lot more depth of flavor,trust me you will be glad you put in the effort and once you have made it you will see it is not as complicated as it might sound ,this recipe is enough for 2 to 3 servings

firstly you need to make some crispy onions,so thinly slice one medium sized onion and cook in 1/2 cup of veg  oil in a saucepan on a medium heat until dark brown,remove from oil and set aside
in the same pan fry 2 large onions gently with lid on until soft and golden,put the onions along with the oil into a blender and liquidize until smooth and set aside

This is the important bit,i learned from a pro chef the secret to getting maximum flavor out of whole spices is not to stir them,if you do then the flavor will not be there,add to a clean saucepan enough veg oil just to wet the bottom,add 1 tblsp of finely diced onion sprinkled all over the oil,now drop in 4 green cardamon pods,3 cloves,break some cinnamon stick length ways and add 3 pieces about 2 inch long and 1 star anise  and a tej petta leaf spread apart,cook this on a very low heat until the onions are light brown,i try to cook for about 20 mins before sprinkling in a few crushed black pepper corns and coriander seeds,a pinch each of fennel and cumin seeds along with the seeds from 3 green cardamon,again do not stir,gently fry until the onions are a dark brown,now add 1 tblsp of gg paste and a desert spoon of green chilli paste and a sprinkle of red chilli flakes ,give it 1 gentle stir and cook the pastes out gently,take of the heat and you can now add the rest of your ingredients which are salt to your taste,a squeeze of lemon juice,a desert spoon of chopped fresh mint,tblsp of chopped coriander herb,3 tblsp of natural yogurt,1 tsp each of turmeri and garam masala,a pinch of msg(optional)also add the brown crispy onions give it a good stir and cook this very gently for 15 mins before adding the liquidized onions with the oil,cook for 5 minutes before adding sliced tomato,pre cooked onion chunks ,pepper,chicken add a dash of water if to thick and cook for further 10 mins,finish of by stirring in 1/2 tsp each of paprika and garam masala,remove the whole spices before serving

like i said it is not as complex as it sounds,i do hope someone cooks this i cant see any curry lover not loving this one

[madpower]

I have slightly altered my recipe after making it again last night,i found it just does not need cumin coriander or curry powder,although it doesnt taste much different it seems a bit lighter which i prefer

[Peripatetic Phil]

Ah, a "work-in-progress"