Authentic chicken curry
A simple, fragrant, authentic chicken curry recipe that is full of flavour. Serve with rice and raita.
Ingredients
- 5 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 onions, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
- 5cm/2in fresh root ginger, thinly sliced
- 1 tomato, roughly chopped
- 1½ tsp dried red chilli flakes
- 1½ tsp ground turmeric
- 1½ tsp garam masala
- 1½ tsp ground ginger
- 1½ tsp garlic powder
- 1½ tsp ground cumin
- 1½ tsp ground coriander
- 1½ tsp dried methi (fenugreek) leaves
- 4 chicken breasts (about 125g/4oz each), cut into small cubes
- 2 green chillies
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the rice
For the raita
Method
Heat a little oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over a medium heat and fry the onions until brown. Add more oil if needed, then add the garlic, ginger and tomato and stir. Add the spices and season with salt before adding a splash of water. Cover with a lid and cook for 20 minutes.
Take the pan off the heat and whisk with a hand blender to make a smooth paste.
Stir in the chicken. Pierce the chillies and add these, too. If the sauce needs loosening, add a little more water. Return to the heat and cook for 15–20 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Drain the rice, add to the pan and cook for 5 minutes. Drain off any water and return the rice to the heat. Add the butter, cover with a lid and steam the rice on a low heat for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, to make the raita, whisk the yoghurt with a fork to make a smooth paste. Dry-fry the cumin seeds over a low heat until toasted and fragrant. Add to the yoghurt with the cucumber and season to taste.
Garnish the chicken curry with coriander before serving with the rice and raita.
Recipe Tips
You can easily swap out the chicken for vegetables or rinsed lentils for a meat-free version.
