Chicken Curry

As an American when I hear ‘curry’ I think of chicken or fish stew in a heavy, spicy sauce served over rice. I have a friend from the UK who calls any Indian dish curry.  One of my students, who is from India, says that curry is the spicy sauce-not the stew. So what exactly is curry?

I began to research curry to answer that question and to give myself a better understanding of the dish before I attempted to cook it. The savory, spicy flavors we think of as curry today come from hundreds of years of trade between India, Southeast Asia and Europe, but apparently people have been eating curry for over 4,000 years. Examining skeletons and pottery shards, archaeologists found residue of the three basic ingredients of the spicy stew-ginger, garlic and turmeric-in ancient excavations in India.  This means people in the Indus valley were eating curry at the same time Egyptians were building the pyramids. So curry is one of the world’s most popular dishes and it may be the world’s oldest prepared dish, as well.

When making curry, don’t use curry powder. The powder can be funky and not in a good way. I prefer curry paste.  I use Pataka Curry Paste Mild. This dish would work with Korma or Tikka Masala.  You could also make the sauce without the chicken and add chopped fish about 7 minutes before finishing. If you prefer to go meatless, make the sauce with veggie stock and add in roasted eggplant and frozen peas with the yogurt.

Servings: 4-6

Time:   Prep: 15 minutes; Cook: 45 Minutes
Hardware:  Measuring spoons and cups, a cutting board and knives, a heavy bottom skillet (I prefer a cast iron skillet), a can opener, a wooden spoon

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 ½ lbs boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1 cup onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2-4 tablespoons of curry paste (depending on your taste)
• 14 ounce can chopped tomatoes drained
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 5 ounces Greek yogurt
• S&P to taste
• 2 cups cooked white rice, chopped green onions, naan bread

1. Cut the chicken into bite size pieces.  Grate the ginger.  Roughly chop the onions, garlic, and cilantro. Drain the tomatoes.  Set aside.
2. Heat the olive oil in the pan on medium. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, cilantro, cumin, and cinnamon.  Cook, stirring often until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.
3. Turn the heat up to medium high and add the chicken.  Sauté the chicken for 7-10 minutes or until just brown.
4. Add the curry paste, tomatoes, and chicken broth.  Stir often until the curry comes to a boil.  Lower the heat to low and simmer slowly for 30 minutes.  Stir occasionally.
5. Remove the curry from the heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
6. Just before serving stir in the Greek yogurt.
7. Serve over rice.  Topped with chopped green onions and a side of naan bread.

Chicken Curry



http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/people-have-been-eating-curry-for-4500-years-8604270/#CrmDV1CcTIG1bUgl.99

http://www.slate.com/articles/life/food/2013/01/indus_civilization_food_how_scientists_are_figuring_out_what_curry_was_like.html

http://www.pataksusa.com/productsearch?type=cat&cat=6