In last week’s post, I provided some information about Indian spices such as tumeric and cumin, which are said to have powerful effects against toxins in the body. I also made a promise and that was to give you a simple curry recipe.

This one is a medium heat curry fusion. In the UK, the tradition of curry and chips (fries) is a great one, so that’s what we’ve tried to recreate here, a good all round curry that you can jazz up to serve with rice and naan or keep simple for a poutine style dish.

The spices in this dish include:

• Paprika –  High in Vitamin C. Contains capsaicin a powerful anti-inflammatory, which can ease chronic conditions like arthritis and joint pain. Capsaicin also aids blood circulation.
• Tumeric – Called the king of spices as far as cancer is concerned, contains the powerful polyphenol Curcumin that has been clinically proven to retard the growth of cancer cells. Also said to help prevent the risk of degenerative disease.
• Madras Curry Powder – We use Sun Brand – Madras curry powder is typically a blend of curry leaves, coriander, cumin,  turmeric, cloves, chili pepper, cinnamon, bay leaves, allspice, fenugreek and black pepper. You can make your own madras powder, this is a good curry powder recipe.
• Ginger – Great for colds, digestion and a whole lot more!

Bosma’s Yellow Chicken Curry (served with fries or rice).
Serve with a good pint of IPA.

 Ingredients:

• 1 white onion, diced
• 2 boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 6 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1” x 1” chunk of ginger, finely sliced
• 2 tomatoes, roughly diced
• Bunch cilantro, chopped
• 2 tsp cumin/coriander seeds, crushed with mortar and pestle
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 2 tbsp yellow curry powder or madras curry powder
• 1 cup water or milk
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 fresh green chillies, sliced
• ½ lemon, squeezed

Directions: 

• Start  with 3 tbsp olive oil in a cast iron pan on a low heat or 2-3.  When oil is warm add the onion and green chilies then cook on low heat  for  10-15 min or till onions are very soft.
• Add 2 tomatoes, paprika, turmeric, cumin, coriander and cook for 2-3 more min or till tomatoes begin to fall apart and soften.
• Add the cubes of chicken, salt, pepper, ginger and garlic and turn the heat to medium then cook for 5 min or till the chicken starts to brown over
• Next add the curry powder and stir thoroughly till everything is covered and then lower the heat back to low. If you are  adding milk instead of water, wait till the temperature lowers so the milk does not curdle. Add it slowly, stirring it in carefully.  If it’s water, just add at medium temp.
• Once you have added the milk throw in 2/3 of your bunch of chopped cilantro and turn the heat back up to medium.  Stir everything in till it looks like a sauce or stew, add more milk or water if it does not seem like there is enough and cover with a lid letting it cook for another 10 min or till the chicken is melt in the mouth tender.
• Now you are almost ready to serve.  Remove the lid and squeeze ½ lemon juice into the sauce and stir then serve over whatever side you have prepared, sprinkling the left over cilantro as garnish.

Don’t be overwhelmed with the amount of ingredients. A good curry needs layers of spices to make it taste really good. If you are concerned about heat, hold back on the chili peppers, though even for a Canadian palate, two should be relatively mild.