Palm Nut Chicken Curry Recipes

CHICKEN CURRY RECIPE

Steps:

• First heat oil in a deep pan, then add whatever whole spices you have - bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves & green cardamoms. Fry them till you get an aroma, just for a min.
• Add chopped onions and chilies. Saute till the onions turn deep golden in color.
• Next add ginger garlic paste and saute till you get a nice aroma. This just takes about a minute.
• Then add tomatoes, turmeric and salt. Mix well and cook until the tomatoes turn soft & mushy.
• Pour yogurt (or cashew paste), red chili powder, garam masala & coriander powder.
• On a low heat, cook until the mixture smells good and the raw smell goes away.
• Add chicken and coriander leaves. Fry till the chicken turns white or pale in color. This takes around 3 mins.
• Cover and cook on a low heat for 3 to 4 minutes. This step is very important as the chicken absorbs all the flavors of the spices.
• Meanwhile in a separate pot, heat up 1 cup water. Using cold water most times toughens the chicken so it is good to use hot water.
• Pour hot water just enough to make a thick curry. Do not add too much water. Chicken curry will become runny. Sometimes chicken lets out lot of moisture. So use only as needed.
• Cover and cook on a medium to low flame till the chicken is soft cooked and the curry turns thick.
• Taste the curry & add more salt if needed.
• You can also add another ½ tsp garam masala at this stage if you feel it is less in flavors.
• Cover and cook on a low flame for 3 to 5 mins. When the chicken is cooked completely it will fall off the bone easily.
• Lastly garnish with coriander leaves, cover and off the heat. Serve chicken curry with butter naan or jeera rice.

THAI CHICKEN CURRY

Steps:

• Place a rack in the center of your oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Season the chicken with salt and black pepper.
• Melt the coconut oil over medium-high heat in a large, ovenproof skillet. Add the chicken and sear on both sides until deeply golden brown. Transfer to a plate.
• Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the bell pepper, leek, garlic, and ginger, and stir to combine. Cook for 2 minutes, until slightly softened.
• Stir in the curry paste. Cook for 5 additional minutes, stirring often. Slowly pour in the coconut milk while stirring to combine. Return the reserved chicken to the skillet.
• Place the skillet in the oven and bake for 25 minutes. The chicken will be fully cooked when a thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the chicken registers 165 degrees F, and the juices run clear. (Note: Smaller chicken breasts may be done closer to the 15-minute mark.)
• Top with cilantro. Serve with rice and fresh sourdough bread for mopping up the sauce if desired.

CHICKEN AND BUTTERNUT SQUASH CURRY

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Place squash in a single layer on a baking sheet. Spray with cooking spray and season with salt and pepper.
• Roast in the preheated oven until tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat oil and curry powder in a large pan over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Stir in onion and garlic; cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add chicken, tossing lightly to coat. Reduce heat to medium and cook until chicken is no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, 5 to 8 minutes.
• While the chicken is cooking, melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add apples and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Slowly add in cornstarch. Pour in chicken broth; stir well. Pour into the pan with the chicken, and add roasted squash, coconut milk, and sugar; stir to combine. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 5 minutes.

COCONUT CHICKEN CURRY

Steps:

• Trim the chicken thighs of excess fat and cut into 1/2- to 1-inch pieces; transfer to a bowl. Add the paprika, turmeric and salt, and use your hands to mix well. Let the chicken marinate at room temperature while you prepare the other ingredients, or cover and refrigerate overnight.
• In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high. Stir in the onions, lower the heat to medium-low and cook gently, stirring often to prevent scorching, until tender and translucent, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to cook, stirring often, until most of the water from the onions has been cooked out and a glossy layer of oil has risen to the surface, about 5 minutes more.
• Add the marinated chicken and stir to release the spices into the onion. Pour in the coconut milk and bring to a near boil. Let the coconut milk simmer briskly for about 4 minutes to thicken a bit. Lower the heat to medium-low and add the fish sauce. Stir in 1 1/2 cups water and bring to a near boil. The broth will thin out as the chicken starts to release its juices.
• Lower to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is tender, 30 to 45 minutes. Droplets of paprika-red oil will rise to the surface. Stir in the curry powder and cayenne, simmer briefly and remove from the heat.
• If time permits, let the curry sit for at least 20 minutes before serving. This allows the chicken to soak in more flavors as the curry cools. Bring to a simmer again right before serving and taste, adding more salt or fish sauce if desired. Serve over rice or noodles, with bowls of cilantro and lime wedges.

AFRICAN CHICKEN CURRY IN RICH PALM OIL

Steps:

• Cut the potatoes into large bite size pieces and boil them in water for 7 minutes. Discard the water and set potatoes aside.
• Finely dice all the onions. Peel and mince garlic cloves (I toss them in the spice grinder and pulse but do not use a garlic press). Mince or grind ginger (again I use a spice grinder for this). Cut the green peppers into large bite size pieces.
• Set aside 1 tsp of cumin seed for later. Grind the whole spice mix minus the 1 tsp cumin seed and combine with the ground turmeric (you can also use whole turmeric and grind with the whole spices but it's a pain because whole turmeric is rock hard and probably makes no difference versus the ground turmeric). Do not use pre ground spices.
• Heat the palm oil on high in a wide, deep nonstick pan. It should quickly begin to sizzle and smoke. Add the 1 tsp of whole cumin seed you set aside. Add the saffron. After a half minute or so add the diced onions. Stir around giving the onions a chance to brown. While you are doing this add the ginger, garlic and then the spice mixture. Once the onions are browned add the tomato, lemon juice (optional) and the coconut milk. Stir it up and then slowly mix in the yoghurt. You should have a nice looking sauce by now. Taste for salt and if not enough then add more to taste (do not do this after you add the raw chicken). Add the potatoes and green peppers and then the raw chicken thighs. Mix it up real good and lower the heat to low. Cover the pan tightly and let cook on the stove on low for approximately one hour checking on it occasionally (it should bubble a bit - if not turn the heat up a little). After one hour look at the sauce. If it is soupy then remove all the thighs and set aside and leave the pan uncovered and turn up the heat to high. Stand by at this point and intermittently stir while the sauce boils. Reduce to a medium thick sauce. Lower the heat back to low, return the chicken to the pan and stir it up. When you are ready to serve the food turn off the heat and chop the cilantro finely and throw into the pan and stir. Your curry is done. Serve over basmati rice or with warm naan bread.

PEANUT BUTTER CHICKEN CURRY

Steps:

• Put the chicken, chopped garlic, a third of the lemongrass and half the ginger, spices and lime juice in a large bowl. Toss, then cover and leave for 30 mins, or chill for up to 24 hrs. Blitz the whole garlic, the rest of the lemongrass and ginger, remaining spices, chopped chilli, onion and a large splash of water to in a food processor. Set aside.
• Heat the oil in a pan and brown the chicken all over. Set aside on a plate. Cook the paste for 8-10 mins until it splits. Stir in the peanut butter and kecap manis. When thickened, add the coconut milk and half a can of water, bring to a simmer, season, then add the chicken with its juices. Continue to simmer for 40 mins, stirring often. Turn off the heat, add the rest of the lime juice and season. Leave to rest for 10 mins. Scatter over the sliced chilli, spring onions, fresh coriander and peanuts to serve.

NUTTY CHICKEN CURRY

Steps:

• Finely slice a quarter of the chilli, then put the rest in a food processor with the ginger, garlic, coriander stalks and one-third of the leaves. Whizz to a rough paste with a splash of water if needed.
• Heat the oil in a frying pan, then quickly brown the chicken chunks for 1 min. Stir in the paste for another min, then add the peanut butter, stock and yogurt. When the sauce is gently bubbling, cook for 10 mins until the chicken is just cooked through and sauce thickened. Stir in most of the remaining coriander, then scatter the rest on top with the chilli, if using. Eat with rice or mashed sweet potato.