Wednesday 11 November 2015

Chicken Madras.

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Guys, I am chasing sunlight these days.

Actually, forget sunlight. Daylight.


Today, the sun sets here at 4:21pm. Being Muslim means I know the exact sunset time everyday - the Maghrib prayer begins at the same time.

Late sunrises and early sunsets mean that winter is well and truly on its way -  or already here, in my opinion. A lack of sunlight means less time to take photos and as a blogger who loves her photos, it's quite hard.

But persevere we must! And today, shot in the very late afternoon light, I bring you our version of the chicken madras curry. With its completely natural red colour, a wonderful sourness and tang because of the lime vinegar marinade and plenty of sauce to mop up (my tool of choice is here!), I think you guys are going to enjoy this one.

Chicken Curry, previously: Butter Chicken // Creamy Chicken Karahi // Chicken and Potato Shorba // Chicken Karahi // Chicken Jalfrezi

A Simple List of Ingredients:
1. Whole Chicken Pieces
2. Chicken Breast Pieces
3. Lime
4. White Wine Vinegar
5. Salt
6. Onions
7. Vegetable Oil
8. Ginger Paste
9. Garlic Paste
10. Crushed Red Chilli Flakes
11. Paprika
12. Curry Powder
13. Ground Cumin
14. Ground Coriander
15. Ground Turmeric
16. Tinned Tomatoes
17. Tomato Puree
18. Water
19. Dried Fenugreek

Bismillah, let's begin!

First job - marinade the chicken. I used 1 Whole Chicken, cut into pieces and on the bone and 1 Chicken Breast, cut into pieces.
You can use only whole chicken if you want or all chicken breast pieces or even chicken thighs.

The marinade has only three ingredients - the first two, salt and white wine vinegar.

Into the chicken, goes 1 teaspoon Salt.

Followed by 2 tablespoons White Wine Vinegar. Add a little more if you don't mind the tang.

Next, the sour element - lime!

Cut it in half.

And, to the chicken, squeeze in the juice of 1 Lime.

Give everything a good mix and cover. Leave to marinade for at least 1 hour.

When you're ready to cook the curry, place a large saucepan over a medium heat. Pour in a good glug of Vegetable Oil.

Let it heat up whilst you slice up your onions.

You'll need 3 Onions along with some ginger and garlic paste.

Peel and thinly dice up the onions.

Add them to the hot oil.


Along with 1 teaspoon Ginger Paste.


And, 1 teaspoon Garlic Paste.


Stir together and fry the onions until golden brown and soft.


Cover them with a lid if you can't be bothered to stand over and stir.


Once the onions are golden, it's time to add our first set of spices.


The madras curry has a deep red sauce - to get this without using any colourings, we're going to begin by colouring our onions with red spices ---> crushed red chilli flakes + paprika + curry powder.


Any curry powder will do but we used this basar curry powder - here are the ingredients in the spice mix.


So, measure out:
1 teaspoon Crushed Red Chilli Flakes
1 teaspoon Paprika
1 teaspoon Basar Curry Powder / Curry Powder
Feel free to adjust any of the above if you want the curry more spicy.


Add in the red spices to onions. Putting them in at this stage, will give the curry its distinctive red colour.


Stir-fry for 2 minutes over a medium heat.


Like so!


Next, take your marinated chicken.


Add in the chicken along with all the marinade.


Stir-fry the chicken until the meat changes colour and turns golden brown - about 7 minutes.


Once the chicken has changed colour ...


.... it's time for the next set of spices.


Measure out:
1/2 teaspoon Salt
2 teaspoons Ground Coriander
1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
1/4 teaspoon Ground Turmeric


Throw them in.


Stir-fry the spices for 2 minutes.


Next, the tomato products. We'll be using tinned chopped tomatoes and tomato puree.


Squeeze in 2 tablespoons Tomato Puree.


Stir in the puree to coat all the chicken.


Next, I blended 1/2 tin (200 grams) Chopped Tomatoes with a little water.


Pour it in.


Then, pour in Water, to taste. This depends on how saucy you want the curry.


Stir and bring to the boil. 


Cover the lid and turn the heat right down. Simmer like this for 30-40 minutes until the chicken is completely cooked. 


Once cooked, uncover.


Take 1 tablespoon Dried Fenugreek.


Sprinkle it on top.


Stir in and it's time to serve!


This curry is perfect served with boiled rice, naan bread or a quick pilau rice. Yum!

Full Written Recipe:


Chicken Madras.

Prep Time: About 1 hour to marinade.
Cook Time: About 1 hour.
Serves: About 6-8 people.

Ingredients
1 Whole Chicken, cut into pieces
1 large Chicken Breast, cut into chunks

For the Chicken Marinade
Juice of 1 Lime
2 tablespoons White Wine Vinegar
1 teaspoon Salt

For the Curry
3 Onions, peeled and finely diced
Good glug Vegetable Oil
1 teaspoon Ginger Paste
1 teaspoon Garlic Paste
1 teaspoon Crushed Red Chilli Flakes
1 teaspoon Paprika
1 teaspoon Basar Curry Powder or Curry Powder
½ teaspoon Salt
2 teaspoons Ground Coriander
1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
¼ teaspoon Ground Turmeric
½ tin (200 grams) Chopped Tomatoes, blended to smooth with a little water
2 tablespoons Tomato Puree
Water, to taste
1 tablespoon Dried Fenugreek

Method

To marinade the chicken, mix the whole chicken pieces, chicken breast pieces, lime juice, white wine vinegar and salt in a large bowl. Set aside to marinade for at least 1 hour.

To make the curry, heat a large pan over a medium heat. Add in the vegetable oil. When it’s hot, add in the onions, ginger paste and garlic paste. Fry until golden brown and soft. Cover the pan with a lid, if needed.
Then, add in the crushed red chilli flakes, paprika and curry powder. Stir-fry over a medium heat for 2 minutes.
Next, add the chicken along with all the marinade. Stir-fry until the chicken changes colour and starts to brown a little – about 7 minutes.
Then, add in the salt, ground coriander, ground cumin and ground turmeric. Stir-fry for 2 minutes to wake the spices up.
Next, add in the blended tinned tomatoes, tomato puree and water. Stir and bring to the boil.
Simmer the curry, covered for 30-40 minutes until the chicken is completely cooked. Uncover, and dry it out over a high heat to your own taste.
To finish, stir in the dried fenugreek. Serve with boiled rice or naan. Enjoy!

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Keep me in your duas please, and enjoy your curry,

Wasalaam!


Spice Enthusiast
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