This is an easy to make Chicken Curry -- its a bit of a blend of north Indian and south Indian styles.
Almost anyone who loves Indian food loves butter chicken or chicken tikka masala. However these chicken curries originate in the north of India and so while I had my moms south Indian style chicken curry many times, I also went to college in North India and so butter chicken became a staple. I also learned a few tips and tricks from a Bengali friend who was a great cook, so this chicken curry is really a blend of some of those styles with its own unique flavor. That will take you on a journey from south to north India.
South Indian chicken curry is recognizable for its use of mustard seeds and curry leaves. North Indian for its use of yoghurt, cream or butter.
Ingredients
1 whole chicken cut-up (excluding giblets and wings) or 4-6 whole legs halved about 1.5 lbs of chicken
2 whole red onions
2 thai green chillies or Indian chillies (use 1 if you cannot handle hot food)
1 thumb sized piece of Ginger
4 garlic cloves
1 tsp Turmeric powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp Cumin powder
1 tsp Coriander powder
1 sprig Cilantro leaves
1 tsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp salt
3 tablespoons Olive oil
2 tablespoon Canola or other vegetable oil
3 medium sized yukon gold or other white potato
3 medium sized ripe tomatoes
5 curry leaves (only available in the Indian store, but they can be frozen and used, they also have dried but I prefer fresh)
5 tablespoons of plain yogurt (Indian or Russian preferably)
Peel slice the onions into quarters. Peel and slice the ginger into a few large pieces. Peel the garlic. Add all of them into a blender and blend, creating a puree (you may have to add a tiny bit of water to make it happen but just a tablespoon or so). Once it is pureed, set it aside.
Cut the potatoes into about 1-inch pieces. Slice the chilies by removing the stem and then slicing each chili lengthwise into two pieces, if the chili is very long you can also slice it once horizontally. Be careful not to rub your face after this - you should immediately wash your hands with soap -- it can get painful if you rub the juice on your face, it does need soap as its really an oil that water alone cannot get rid of! Chop the Cilantro and tear the curry leaves by half. Chop the tomatoes into 1-inch or less cubes.
Remove the skin from the chicken as well as any wings, neck giblets etc. (instead of throwing these away, I usually use them to create chicken stock to add to our dogs meal (make sure you filter out and remove the bones) -- he loves it!). If the legs are whole, cut them in half. For the breast, cut part of the meat from the bone so make boneless pieces (about 3/4-inch thick) and leave some meat on the bone. I usually chop the breast bone with some meat on it as it is quite tasty when removed from the bone while eating. Some folks only like boneless chicken so these boneless breast pieces are good for them.
In a large skillet mix the Olive oil and Canola oil and heat. Once hot add the mustard seed and let them crackle for a bit. Now lower the heat completely and carefully add the onion puree, watch out for splatter -- which will occur if the oil is too hot, best to add in one quick movement -- don't drip it in. Increase the heat to high and sautee the onion in the oil, mixing frequently, you will see steam rise, so you will want to sautee until it doesn't steam much anymore. If it gets too dry you may add some canola oil. Stir frequently so it doesn't burn.
Now add turmeric, salt, cumin and coriander powder to the cooked onion mix and continue to mix well until the spices are mixed well. After about 2-3 minutes when spices are somewhat cooked, add in the chicken pieces -- reduce the heat to medium to avoid burning and further curdling the yogurt which we will add next. Stir well until the spice is mixed well with the chicken. Now add the yogurt once the pot has cooled a bit -- one tablespoon at a time on top, rapidly stirring it in to mix well. When all the yogurt has disappeared into the mixture, add the tomatoes, stirring well for some time on medium heat. Now add the curry leaves, chilies and increase the heat. Add about half a cup of water or more so all the pieces are submerged completely, now add the potatoes most of the pieces and potatoes should be submerged at least 3/4 of the way.
Cover and let the mix boil, stirring every 2-3 minutes and checking to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom. Let it cook for about 10 minutes and then lower the heat to low and then add the cilantro. Now taste and add more salt if needed. Let it simmer for another 5-10 minutes and then turn the heat off.
Serve with hot chapatis, roti or rice along with a vegetable. Enjoy!!
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