Foolproof Chicken Curry

Ah, the Sri Lankan chicken curry!

Nothing is quite as so quintessentially homely as the smell of chicken curry wafting through the corridors when you walk into a Sri Lankan household. Rich or poor, Sinhalese, Tamil, Muslim or Dutch Burgher, all Sri Lankans enjoy this delicacy, and every household has their own take on it, which, for me, is the beauty of this dish.

This version that I cook now is a fool-proof, standard, go-to version that always works for me. I learned to cook this from my mother, and she from her mother. Of course over the years and through the relaying of knowledge, both my mum and myself have modified the recipe. This version tastes as close as I can get it to my mother’s recipe. However, I do have some tips and tricks up my sleeve that I have refined over time to ensure that I have the best version of my mum’s recipe.

For ease, I have split this recipe into two components. The marinade components and the actually making of the curry. For someone who might be attempting this the first time, it might seem daunting. At the bottom I have included as many helpful tips as I can to make the process easier. As always, Sri Lankan food is a labour of love and time, so if you don’t get this right in the first go (especially if some of these ingredients are foreign to you), don’t fret.

Some important points before we begin:

Marinating: I recommend using a freezer bag for marinating as opposed to a container. This means all the meat gets coated in the marinade evenly, and you can freeze many batches of marinated chicken for as long as you want. Not imperative but it's great to save space this way, as well as washing up.

Chili Powder: Use a good quality chili powder that has a lot of colour and a lot of kick. The best substitute if not, would be Cayenne pepper powder mixed with Kashmiri chilli powder. This curry is meant to be spicy -- however you can use a mild chilie powder like Kashmiri if you don't want it to be hot or want to serve it to kids. Do not use paprika as it will taste bitter when you fry it.

Onions and Tomatoes: Most chicken curry recipes use onions and tomatoes. I don’t because pieces of onion take away from the clarity of the curry sauce. This is a personal preference however. If you ARE using onion, ALWAYS use red onions for Sri Lankan curries. I find that onions don't really contribute much to this curry which has all the other flavours to carry it, and if you are using tomatoes make sure they cook down really well

Vinegar: Adding vinegar makes a world of difference in tenderising the meat. You can choose not to, but it helps.I prefer using vinegar to tamarind as tamarind can make the curry rather acrid and unpleasant if left to marinade for too long.

Frying spices: So many people ask me if I use paprika to get the colour of my chicken curry. I don’t, because that’s not authentic. Just fry your spices properly in a good amount oil.

Cut of chicken: Always try to use chicken on the bone. You don’t want chicken pieces falling apart and being lost in the curry. Caramelised bones also add so much more flavour to the curry. Be respectful to this recipe and PLEASE don’t cook this with boneless chicken breast. Boneless thigh would be fine and I use boneless thigh fillets quite regularly when I don't want to break down a whole chicken but chicken breast really doesn't lend well.

Coconut milk: This curry lends itself really well to being cooked without coconut milk. Coconut milk adds a lovely richness but you can make this with just water and have a thinner, spicier gravy.

Measurements: These are all STANDARD measures. So please use a standard measure teaspoon, tablespoon and cup. Do not use dessert spoons, serving spoons and tea cups.

So all board the curry train, because next stop will be sensational flavour station!

Ingredients

For the marinade

• 1kg chicken, on the bone or 600g boneless

• 1 tbs good quality chili powder

• 3 tsp turmeric

• 2-3 tbs white vinegar

• 2 tsp curry powder

• 2 tbs soya sauce (optional)

• 1 tbs goraka paste (optional)

• 2-3 tsp salt

• 4 tsp pepper

For the curry

• 3-4 cloves garlic

• 5-6 cardamom pods

• 3-4 cloves

• 8-10 fenugreek seeds

• 5 cm piece ginger

• 1 cinnamon quill, crushed

• 1 tsp sugar

• 1 stalk lemongrass, halved and bruised

• 2 sprigs fresh curry leaves

• 2 green chillies, chopped

• 5cm pandan leaf

• 3 tsp cumin powder

• 2 tbs chili powder

• 1 tbs unroasted curry powder

• 1/2 tbs roasted curry powder (optional but adds a lovely colour)

• 2 tbs oil (coconut oil preferred)

• 200ml thin coconut milk - use more for a richer gravy

• 200ml-300ml water

More chili powder and salt to taste (I use around 2-3 tbs, but the amount of chilli powder comes down to your own taste)

Method

Pop the chicken in a zip-lock bag/large container. Add in all the marinade ingredients, massage the ingredients into the chicken and put away. Leave the chicken to marinade a minimum of 2 hours. 8-12 hours would be ideal as this would allow the chicken to really absorb the flavours and for the vinegar to tenderise the meat. The goraka and soya sauce are optional but they add a lovely roundness to the flavour.

Once the chicken has marinated sufficiently, pop in the garlic, cardamom, cloves, ginger and cinnamon into a mortar and pestle. Crush into a chunky consistency. If you don’t have access to a mortar and pestle, finely chop everything together. The whole idea of crushing these aromatic ingredients together is to increase surface area, for more flavour permeation! You don't *have* to do this and sometimes I'm too lazy to pound the ingredients together and I just chop everything -- which is fine to do.

Once your pounded up mix/paste is done, heat up your oil in a large, deep pan that can accommodate the chicken (one that conducts heat evenly like a skillet or a copper base would be very very useful here but I personally love using my clay pot).

When the oil is hot, add in your pounded up mix, lemongrass, chillies, curry leaves and pandan. Fry for a few minutes until the smell overpowers your entire house and you have the neighbours drooling and regretting their pathetic bland dinners.

Add chili powder, curry powder and cumin to the hot oil/mixture in the pan. Fry off until the spices have deepened in colour, but be careful not to burn it. You should be able to smell the chilie powder but it shouldn't smell burnt. This step is crucial for making sure that you get a nice deep colour to your chicken curry. Then add the chicken to the pan. Brown the chicken to seal in the juices. At this stage, you can add more chili powder if you wish to. If the spices start sticking to the bottom of the pan, fear not!

Once the chicken has been frying off for about 5 minutes, turn the heat down to a medium flame and add in any leftover marinade you may have. Clamp on a lid and cook for about 8 minutes. Then add in about 100 ml of water. When this water starts to boil, cover the pan with a lid and allow to sit for 10 minutes or so.

After 10 minutes, take the lid off. Add in the coconut milk and give it a good mix through. Allow the curry to come back to a boil, pop the lid back on and allow the curry to cook and develop for 15-20 minutes. If you are using chicken on the bone or 20-25 minutes, allow a bit longer. If you don't want to use coconut milk or you prefer to cook this with just water, you can substitute the coconut milk with water or stock. This means your curry will be quite spicy.

Allowing the curry to develop ensures the chicken will be tender, and deepens the flavour of the sauce. At the end of the cooking time, adjust the salt and chili of the sauce to your tastes. You need to use your judgement to ensure you get the curry to the right consistency.

At this stage, when the chicken has cooked, turn up the heat of the pan to thicken the curry sauce. It is not imperative to do this, for you can have a chicken curry with a thinner sauce and it will still taste good, but thickening the curry sauce really does intensify all that chicken-y goodness. Once again, use your judgement. A good chicken curry should have a deep colour if you've fried the chilli powder properly, and the oil should separate on the surface

Once the chicken is taken off the heat, you can add a spritz of lime juice and a small dusting of dark roasted curry powder for that little bit of extra oomph and wow factor.

Serve, eat and rejoice! The videos for the recipe are on my highlights on my Instagram page!

This recipe so near and dear to my heart, from my grandmother’s kitchen, to my mothers, to mine, to yours. This is tied to a lifetime of memories and I am honoured to share this with all of you today.

Enjoy!

Sav xx