It hit me.
Moved country, emptied boxes, bought furniture, planted the garden. Uniforms ready, school bags packed, shoes polished and lunchboxes made. School timetable is on the fridge, cupboards stocked. Laundry is getting easier, navigating a new city is still a work in progress. Pantry organised, toys arranged and clothes are labelled. Met old friends, made new ones, trying to bridge the distance with those I left behind. Fridge is full, freezer is cramped, wine is chilling on the rack – regular life is all set to start again.
Only, I wanted to hide under the duvet and nest there for the foreseeable future. The brand new cooker remained shiny for weeks. The cavernous oven is a glorified dishwarmer and half hearted baking attempts have been nothing short of disastrous. Cakes overflowing, biscuits burning – nothing was remotely close to en pointe. I am on first name basis with the Indian takeaway down the road. In fact, he was the only person I called regularly. Every other close contact called, messaged or Facebook-ed me to make sure I, in fact, was still alive. Two months after the move, I am on shutdown mode. I became one of those people I formerly found incomprehensible – people who didn’t care really about food. It was fuel, end of. Worse was that I couldn’t stand the idea of cooking, let alone actually make anything; I couldn’t be bothered. When I say cooking, I mean cooking with heart, being keen and wanting to satisfy. The amount of rote cooking involving spaghetti carbonara I’ve fed my kids on a weekly basis is terrifying, and yet I made it, repeatedly.
Today I sort of stumbled on an old email from my mother, a reply regarding weaning advice when Lil Lassie was starting solids. Along with the kichdi recipe, she gave me a simple chicken curry, an everyday get-it-on-the-table job. Seeing as the cupboards are stocked to the brim and the residents left undisturbed for far too long, I mustered just enough interest, via guilt, to get on with it. Enough, that I gave into the fleeting inclination to get my camera out from its case.
Admittedly, I started off grudgingly. With the help of good music, the process started feeling good, instinctive. The deeply familiar aroma of onions gradually caramelising in aromatic coconut oil sort of woke up the senses, like a memory coming into focus. I didn’t rush the pace, but didn’t shy from it either. A Scottish friends says ye cannae hurry a curry and she’s bang on. Slowly, I felt tension dissolving and by the end, seeing a pot of curry gently bubbling away felt incredibly satisfying.
It all sounds a bit loopy and daft intellectualising of what is basically the need for body fuel but the simple movements called for in cooking can be a catalytic action for clarity in your head space. This is the longest I’ve gone, two months almost, in a cooking fug and to be honest, it scared me a little. Such a complete lack of interest whatsoever for what was once, a source of incredible personal pleasure made me question everything else connected to it – family, friends, online communities, my own nature, even this blog. It hit me, out of the blue.
With this curry though, things are looking brighter. On tasting it, I had visuals of my curry loving son lapping it up and The Scotsman digging in after a day of long meetings and reports. And because I wanted to, I made a simple grated veg salad to go with and pushed the boat out making papadums. I was conscious that I was anticipating the pleasure it would give my family to have this meal, a feeling that evaded me for what seems like ages. Even Lil Lassie finished her plate without complaint. After weeks of rote cooking, anything I cooked with care would have tasted fabulous to her tastebuds! They all tucked in, even the little American girl from next door who had no idea what a curry was. I am pleased that her first education on the subject was a decent curry from my kitchen.
This recipe doesn’t require any special spices. If you make anything close to being a curry, most likely you’ll have the necessary in your pantry. My mother puts green peppers into this one, which is probably the only time I would tolerate eating green peppers. Or go with my preference – slit and deseed those fat, mild green finger chillies and add to the end of cooking time to give that grassy, acidic finish to your Everyday Chicken Curry.
Everyday Chicken Curry
The quality of your spices dictates the end result. If when you open your dust covered bottle and find there is no aroma but a stale, insipid smell, it’s time to chuck it and begin again. If you are lucky enough to get to an Asian grocers, the produce, price and quality there will be unbeatable. If all you can get at the supermarket wee bottled spices, you might need to up them a little to get some impact.
This curry isn’t meant to be spicy-hot, but pleasantly spiced and as such, appeals more to children or nervous adults. A good dollop of thick yoghurt on the side helps things along deliciously in such cases.
1 Kg Chicken, cut into 8-10 pieces and skinned or skinless chicken thighs
2 Onions, sliced
1 Tbsp Crushed Ginger
1 Tbsp Crushed Garlic
2 Tomatoes – blanched, de-skinned and sliced
1 Large Potato skinned and diced into cubes of 1- ½”.
1 Large green pepper diced into 1” piece.|
4 tbsp cooking oil
250ml of warm water
Pinch of powdered garam masala
Soak the following in a little water
½ tsp Chilli Powder
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper powder
¼ tsp turmeric
Whole Garam Masala as follows:-
4 Cloves
2″ stick cassia bark or 21/2″ stick of cinnamon
4 cardamom pods, lightly bruised
1/4 tsp Cumin (whole)
Heat the oil in a large pan on a medium heat and saute the garlic until it turns a light brown. Add the sliced onions and the whole garam masala spices. Cook until the onions turn translucent, then add the ginger and the powdered, soaked spices. Stir well and saute until you can smell the spices taking on a roasted aroma. Then add the tomatoes and cook it down till you get a mushy paste. Turn the heat up a little, add the chicken pieces and mix well to coat thoroughly in the masala paste. Add the water, give it a stir, bring to the boil, put the lid on and put the pan on the lowest heat possible. Let it cook slowly and gently, for around 40-45 minutes if using bone-in cuts of chicken, or 30 minutes if using boneless thigh meat. When its just about to be done, add a pinch of garam masala, cook for another minute and then take the pan off the heat. Season to taste.
While the chicken is cooking, heat up some oil in a frying pan. When the oil is hot, add the cubed potatoes, stir to coat in the oil, place a lid over it and let it cook in its own steam. Turn the potato from time to time, so that they take an even, golden colour on all sides. When the potato is nearly cooked, add the diced pepper, if using and let cook till tender.
When the curry is done, add the potatoes and the pepper to it, stir and replace the lid. Let the curry rest for 10 minutes so that the peppers can infuse their flavour.
Add some chopped fresh coriander if desired, and serve with rice, rotis, papadams and a freshly dressed salad. Raita or plain yoghurt is lovely too.
Note : Instead of using green peppers, you can infuse that grassy, acidic tang by slitting green finger chillies halfway (keeping them attached to the stalk), scrape out the seeds and add to the pan along with the potatoes. Leave the pan for 10 minutes to allow the chilli to infuse.
You can make the curry and potatoes-peppers in advance. Store them separately as the potato will absorb the liquid in the curry over time and it will thicken considerably. Just reheat both separately and mix together as detailed above.
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hrh7
Glad I saw your post on my Reader today. And gladder (if that’s even a word) that you are still blogging.
Lovely looking food! I hope to try it soon.
Caroline @ The Patterned Plate
Aww, thank you! It’s been ages and I’ve felt guilty for letting it slip. I have just emerged out of the cooking fug and looking forward to posting more consistently. Thanks for sticking around 😀
Sarvani
oh I hear you Carrie..i have been lost from my kitchen too.. and I don’t know why!! was wondering where you were?! nothing like a good homemade chicken curry ..nothing fancy but oh-so-familiar for the tastebuds and if it gets the mojo back.. we aren’t complaining!!
Caroline @ The Patterned Plate
Ha! You know Sarvani, I’ve read a lot of bloggers being lost in a sea of disinterestedness with cooking. Wonder if it’s something in the air! Your description is spot on for this curry. Certainly the first time I enjoyed cooking in what seems like ages!
sueBthefoodie
Curry looks lovely. And the Robbins egg blue French Dutch oven is beautiful. Thanks for sharing your mom’s curry. -cheers sueBthefoodie
Caroline @ The Patterned Plate
Thanks Sue. I love my LC oblong casserole pan. Superb for braising a joint too.
milkandbun
Curry looks really yum, Caroline! And I really love that blue-brown plate! 😉
Caroline @ The Patterned Plate
Hello Mila, thanks for posting! The bowls are made by British ceramics designer (and potter) Maham Anjum, designed for Jamie Oliver. I think you can still pick up a set on his online shop. I absolutely love this set. It’s treated with love 🙂
annauk1
I’m really glad you’ve found your passion/enjoyment in cooking again. I hear what you’re saying, Caroline, and you put it so eloquently. xx
Caroline @ The Patterned Plate
Thanks Anna, I am too, though it’s definitely a mild sauntering pace towards full throttle cooking as yet!
dishnthekitchen
I believe my dear, that this is called ‘getting your groove back’
Way to go!
Caroline @ The Patterned Plate
ha! Thank you and long may the groove last!
CakePants
This looks delicious and very hearty! I certainly go through phases where cooking is just a task I have to do, but I know that those times are always temporary. Glad you’re getting back into the swing of things 🙂
Caroline @ The Patterned Plate
Slowly but surely I am 🙂 It’s a very dejecting feeling to be doing something day in and out with such apathy!
thesageowlblog
Living away from my mother’s cooking has me wanting those special recipes, especially during the colder months. The curry looks amazing, so glad that you took at your camera and shared. Thank you.
Caroline @ The Patterned Plate
Thank you! My mother is the best cook I know, but then I’d say that wouldn’t I!
Kirsten
So pleased to see you back. I was beginning to wonder where you had gone! I think we all go through phases where we struggle to cook and struggle even more to blog about it – nothing works or tastes right and we get disheartened. It is usually just a phase though, no matter how long it may last.
I adore curry (but not too spicy) and am always looking out for easy recipes and this is a good one. I use coconut oil a lot but I have never thought of using it to cook the onions in for the base of a curry. I’m salivating just thinking about it! Next time I will definitely forego the usual olive oil and go for the coconut. Thanks for the inspiration 🙂
Caroline @ The Patterned Plate
Hey Kirsten, yes it’s been a while! To say that I was turned off cooking is to be understated! I don’t know what happened but hopefully the fug’s past. It was a loooooong one to say the least.
Coconut oil is used as the primary fat in all south indian curries usually. Try it with seafood, especially prawns. Oh, my mouth’s watering at the thought! Or, just a drizzle over vegetables at the end of a quick stir fry makes the dish.
House Number 18
I love a curry and this looks delicious!! X
frederick anderson
So glad you decided to rejoin the race! And thank you for this recipe – curries have always been my weak point, so I am eager to give this one a go. I am eyeing my neighbor’s chickens speculatively even as I write…
Caroline @ The Patterned Plate
Hahah! Oh that had me chuckling. Poor chooks! Either way, they’ll be put to good use here. Hope you make it and more importantly, that you like it!
Rushi!
Carrie you’re back!!!! Yay!!!! This is so crazy, my mom’s here to help with bubs and she just made a chicken curry to eat with coconut roti…I’m in a bit of a cooking rut, simply because I’m so exhausted, thankfully mom’s around so we have good food 🙂 I like the fact that you fry the potatoes before adding ’em. Mom usually cooks it with the curry. I showed her your post and she said that she’ll try it the next time 😀
Caroline @ The Patterned Plate
Oh, the baby brain and the tiredness. It will pass Rushi, it shall pass! Until then, get your mother to stock up the freezer! Coconut Rotis???!! Tell me more!
Uros of Fine Stay Slovenia
Curry Chicken is one of my favorite meals. It is a meal we ate often growing up and the smell still reminds me of home.
Amber Thomas
mid afternoon shop to get all these ingredients 👏😍 great looking dish
Caroline @ The Patterned Plate
Hope you like it Amber 🙂
Rosanna
Moving is a stressful time. I’m glad you’re back to cooking and found solace once again in your kitchen. This curry looks great and I can’t wait to try it!
Pearl2803
Great looking dish.I’m already salivating.Maybe I should just go and cook it.