Red chicken curry
This simple yet gorgeous curry is my go-to dish when introducing people to Sri Lankan food at the restaurant, in demos or cookery classes. It’s easy and approachable, yet tastes so different from any north Indian or southeast Asian curry that you might first associate it with when reading through the ingredients.
- Total:
Ingredients
- 25g of green cardamom seeds
- 5g of cloves
- 50g of cinnamon stick, or broken pieces
- 50g of basmati rice
- 150g of coriander seeds
- 75g of cumin seeds
- 50g of fennel seeds
- 10g of fenugreek seeds
- 15g of black peppercorns
- 25g of curry leaves, or 10g dried curry leaves
- 15g of pandan leaves, or 5g dried pandan leaves
- 1kg bone-in chicken thighs, or drumsticks, skin removed and cut into 8–10cm pieces (you can use boneless thighs if you prefer, but the curry won’t be as flavourful)
- 1tsp ground turmeric
- 2tsp salt
- 2tbsp of ginger paste
- 2tbsp of garlic paste
- 4tbsp of coconut oil
- 250g of red onion, (approx. 1 large onion), sliced
- 9cm of cinnamon stick
- 5green cardamom pods
- 4cloves
- 2lemongrass sticks
- 10cm of pandan leaves
- 12curry leaves
- 1tbsp of chilli powder
- 150g of ripe tomatoes, (approx. 1 large tomato), sliced
- 150ml of fresh chicken stock
- 250ml of coconut milk
- 2green chillies, halved lengthways (optional)
Instructions
Step 1
To make the roasted curry powder, first heat a heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat. Roast the cardamom, cloves and cinnamon in the dry pan, stirring frequently for 2–3 minutes until fragrant but being careful not to burn themStep 2
Add the rice and continue roasting for 12–14 minutes until nutty and light brown. Roast the remaining ingredients separately for 12–14 minutes, stirring constantly, until the leaves are dry and brittleStep 3
Leave to cool completely before grinding to a fine powder in a blender or spice grinder. Pass through a strainer and grind any remaining large pieces. Transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 1 monthStep 4
Combine the chicken with ½ tsp turmeric, 2 tsp roasted curry powder, ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp each ginger and garlic paste. Mix well and leave to marinate in thefridge for at least 1 hour, or overnightStep 5
Heat the oil in a heavy-based pan over a medium-high heat. Add the onion along with ½ tsp salt and sauté until translucent. Add the remaining ginger and garlic paste and continue frying until the raw smell is no longer present. Stir in the cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, lemongrass, pandan leaf and curry leaves. Add the chilli powder, remaining ½ tsp turmeric and 2 tbsp roasted curry powder. Fry for a further 30 secondsStep 6
Stir in the tomato and cook over a medium heat, stirring often until it softens and turns pulpy. Add the chicken and stir well to ensure it’s coated in the spices, about 3–4 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the chicken stock, mix everything well, cover and allow to simmer for 15 minutesStep 7
Add the coconut milk and green chillies, if using, and reduce to a simmer for another 5–7 minutes. Season with the remaining salt