I have a confession to make: I have a thing for chicken curry (so long as it’s mild enough for me to eat it). There’s something delicious and delectable about curry that’s really quite irresistable. My mother knows this, and so, for my birthday (back in May), she gifted me with a wonderful book (Curry Cuisine, containing curry recipes from over the world) and several large bags of spices from Indonesia. Fantastic!
A lovely friend of the boyfriend’s neighbors (say that three times fast) came over for a dinner date recently and, being more of an expert in Indian cuisine than I, I much appreciated the help! A.M. (my guest) and I made the most delicious curry that has thus far been made in this apartment: murgh makhani. It was SO good- honestly- so delicious!! I’m already pining to make it again.
One note: the chili powder… ohmygoodness. This had A.M. and I in coughing and sneezing fits. We used a Balinese chili powder my mother gave me, and it looked deceptively kind… but this stuff was STRONG. We were sneezing like mad, several minutes after having been away from it. Beware of your chili powders, that’s all I’m saying.
Murgh Makhani (Old Delhi-style Chicken Curry)
Adapted from Mugh Makhani in Curry Cuisine
Ingredients:
Marinade:
- 2 large chicken breasts, cleaned, skinned, de-boned, cut into large cubes
- 3/4 cup low-fat vanilla european-style yogurt (O Organics!)
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp each of salt and pepper
- 1 tsp Balinese chili powder (aaaah)
Sauce:
- 1 can 12 oz Italian-style diced tomatoes in tomato juice
- 1/2 cup water, room-temperature
- 1.5 tsp powdered ginger
- 2 tsp garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp cloves (powdered)
- 1 tsp Saigon cinnamon
- 1/2 stick soy butter, softened
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
Process:
- Mix the marinade ingredients together in a small bowl, add the chicken, coat thoroughly on all sides. Cover with plastic wrap and place in fridge for 25-30 minutes.
- Preheat a cast-iron grill pan over medium-to-low heat.
- We at first put the chicken on skewers to grill, but found that because of the angle, the chicken wasn’t cooking properly, and decided to take the chicken off the skewers and cook as cubes. Take your pick! If you use wooden skewers, be sure to keep the skewers in a shallow dish filled with awter for 5-10 minutes prior to grilling so that they will not burn. Cook for 10-15 minutes until the chicken has a coloured crust on all sides.
- To prepare the sauce, place the tomatoes and juice in a saucier pan (make sure it’s deep enough) with the water, ginger, carlic, cloves, and cinnamon. Cook until the tomatoes become very soft and shredded. Once the sauce is thickening, take the half stick of butter and melt it into the sauce, mixing in thoroughly.
- Take the cooked chicken cubes and add to the sauce, and continue to simmer for 3-4 minutes. Add the salt and sugar, and serve the curry with rice or naan (see naanscuits recipe for ideas).
It’s hot, it’s just just just the right degree of spice, and all of that can most certainly be attributed to my fortune in having had A.M. join me for a cooking date. She knows the spices inside and out and truly understands the relationship between their flavours. Thanks for a delicious and wonderful date, A.M., and I hope your travels in India right now are going safely and wonderfully! :)
