This Coconut Chicken Curry proves you don’t need a long list of spices or a jar of curry paste to make a truly Indian-tasting curry – just 3 simple spices and very little effort. Tastes like a coconut-y rogan josh.
Prep: 15 mins | Cook Time: 20 mins | Serves 5-7 people
Ingredients:
2 tbsp unrefined coconut oil (virgin)or butter, ghee or any cooking oil you want
500 g boneless chicken thighs, cut into 2cm pieces
1 large onion, diced
1 1/2 tbsp garlic, finely grated (about 6 large cloves)
1 1/2 tbsp ginger, finely grated
2 1/2 tbsp mild curry powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 1/2 cups chicken stocks
400g coconut cream or coconut milk
400g can chickpeas, drained
1 1/4 tsp salt
Serving:
Plain yogurt, slightly thinned with water to make it drizzle-able
Coriander leaves, roughly chopped, recommended
Basmati rice
Naan, optional
Method:
Melt the coconut oil in a large pot over medium high heat (or a large deep skillet). Add the onion and cook for 2 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and ginger, stir constantly for 30 seconds (scrape base if it starts to stick).
Add the curry powder, turmeric and cumin. Stir for 15 seconds, taking care to make sure it doesn't stick and burn on base (if it does, add splash of water). Add tomato paste and stir to coat all the onion, then add the chicken and stir to coat.
Add the chicken stock, stir well, then once it starts bubbling, simmer rapidly for 5 minutes to reduce the liquid, stirring once in a while (adjust heat as needed, we want rapid bubbles – this is a speedy recipe remember!).
Add the coconut cream, chickpeas and salt. Stir well, bring back up to a simmer then simmer rapidly for 8 minutes, stirring every now and then. The sauce should be creamy but a little thinner than you'd expect.
Remove the pot from the stove and leave to cool for 5 minutes, during which time the sauce will thicken a bit more. Serve over basmati rice with a drizzle of yogurt and sprinkle of fresh coriander.