Chicken Curry
To make an Indian-style curry at home, start by buying whole spices, which will produce an intense seasoning. Just like nuts, spices taste better when they are freshly toasted and then ground and used immediately in cooking. I strongly recommend using grated fresh ginger root rather than dry powdered ginger.
Ingredients
2 Tbsp. coriander seeds
2 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. cardamom seeds
½ tsp. whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick, broken
½ tsp. ground turmeric
2 tsp. salt
4 Tbsp. vegetable oil
8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
2 onions, finely chopped
¼ cup grated ginger
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 chile peppers, seeded and minced (or more to taste) or 1 to 2 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 Tbsp. sherry vinegar
½ cup plain yogurt
1 cup chicken stock
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 cups cooked basmati rice
Preparation
• In a dry skillet, toast the coriander, cumin, cardamom, cloves and cinnamon separately over medium heat until fragrant. Be careful not to burn the spices or the curry will be bitter.
• Let the spices cool, then grind them in a spice grinder to a fine powder.
• Stir in the turmeric and salt.
• Heat the oil on medium in a large frying pan and brown the chicken thighs, skin side down.
• Remove the chicken and add the onion and cook for 5 minutes.
• Add the ginger and garlic and cook for 2 minutes.
• Add the dry spice mixture, the chiles, vinegar, yogurt and stock.
• Return the chicken to the pan. Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 1 hour.
• Place the chicken on a serving platter. Skim off the fat from the liquid and pour the sauce over the chicken.
• Garnish with cilantro and serve with basmati rice.
