Durban Chicken Curry

When we think of curry we do not automatically think of South Africa. The fact this curry originates from Durban reflects the fact that there are an estimated 1.3 million people of Indian origin living in South Africa, most of who live in and around Durban, which was dubbed ‘the largest ‘Indian’ city outside of India’ by The Times of India. This curry is tasty and relatively easy and having made it lots of times I tend to experiment and add different ingredients such as fenugreek to see how it affects the taste. Serves about 4 depending how greedy you are.

Ingredients

2 tbsp vegetable or sunflower oil

1 large onion, sliced into rings

1 handful of dried curry leaves

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tsp finely grated fresh gingerroot

2 tbsp of Patak’s curry paste

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

½ tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground turmeric

1kg skinless chicken breasts cut into strips

3 small Chillies finely chopped (if you prefer a milder curry deseed them)

2 medium Tomatoes chopped (or a 400g tin of chopped tomatoes if you want it more saucy)

200ml chicken stock

1 tsp tomato puree

4-5 medium Potatoes, peeled and diced into small cubes

fresh coriander leaves, to serve

Method

Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the onion and curry leaves until the onion is soft and golden brown. Stir in the garlic, ginger, spices and curry paste and cook for a couple of minutes over a low heat constantly stirring. If the ingredients stick to the pan they will come off once you add the stock.

Increase the temperature and add the chicken and chillies, stirring well for a few minutes.

Add the tomatoes, half the stock and cook for about 10 minutes before adding the tomato puree.

Add the potatoes and the remaining stock; cover and simmer for a further 20 to 30 minutes. Adjust the seasoning if necessary and sprinkle with the coriander before serving.

Serve with basmati rice and/or naan bread of your choice.

Posted by admin in Recipes