There are some dishes that take a lot of making – a lot of ingredients, a lot of steps, a lot of fuss over a hot stove.
Not this one, but it’s reliably good all the same, which is probably why I’ve been making it for so many years.
Enriched with coconut and cashew nuts, like a classic south Indian xacuti, it has the aromatic flavour and the heat without the drama.
The yogurt works its magic on the chicken and everything comes together very smoothly.
You could add peas or green beans along with the chicken and make it a one-pot meal.
You could add green prawns, if you wanted a very tasty change.
By swapping the ghee in the sauce for coconut oil, and adding roasted kumera and greens, or any other vegetable or legume you fancy, you could even turn it into a vegan dish that’s not too shabby.
That’s why it’s been around so long.
Jan
CHICKEN, COCONUT AND CASHEW CURRY
Serves 6
1 kg chicken thigh fillets, trimmed and chopped into bite-sized pieces
125 gm plain yoghurt
50 gm ghee
1 lemon, juice only
250 ml coconut milk
50 gm roasted cashews, roughly ground
50 gm shredded coconut
1 teaspoon salt
Spring onions and roasted cashews to serve
Spice Mixture
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
¼ teaspoon ground fenugreek
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
10 gm fresh turmeric (or 1 teaspoon ground)
2 green cardamom pods
2 cloves
2 dried whole chillies (or dried chilli flakes to your liking)
Combine chicken and yoghurt in a glass or ceramic bowl. Mix well then cover and refrigerate for 4-6 hours or overnight.
For spice mixture, combine spices and chillies and grind finely in a blender.
Heat 20gm ghee in a saucepan until almost smoking, add spice mixture and stir over medium heat until well coloured and fragrant.
Add lemon juice, 1 cup of water and stir.
Add coconut milk, ground cashews, shredded coconut and salt. Simmer gently over a medium heat for 20 to 25 minutes, or until thickened and reduced to about 1½ cups.
Place chicken pieces in a colander and shake gently to drain off any excess yoghurt. Heat remaining ghee in a large frying pan and cook chicken in batches over medium-high heat until well browned but barely cooked through.
To this point everything can be prepared well ahead of time.
When ready to serve bring sauce gently to the boil. Add the chicken pieces and reduce sauce to a simmer until the chicken is warmed through.
Adjust seasoning if necessary. Top with finely sliced spring onions and extra roasted nuts and serve with rice.