Chicken Thigh Coconut Curry Recipe from What We Call Masala by Sarina Kamini

Check out this delicious recipe from What We Call Masala by Sarina Kamini, available now!

Chicken Thigh Coconut Curry

The masala in this dish uses pungent and earthy spices. But more importantly, it’s focused on the cohesion created by individual aromatics that are strongly associated with traditional regional Indian tastes: kala namak, mace, fenugreek powder, ginger powder, cumin powder and, of course, ajwain. Reinforcing classicism is a way of building a texture of tradition into the dish.

Serves 3–4

Photo Credit: Patricia Niven

• 2 tablespoons mustard oil

• 1 tablespoon ghee

• 1 tablespoon yoghurt

• 1 teaspoon fine white sea salt

• 5 cloves

• 2 dried bay leaves

• 5 chicken thigh cutlets

• 5 small tomatoes

• ½ teaspoon fenugreek powder

Masala

• 2 teaspoons fennel powder

• 1 teaspoon fine pink salt

• 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder

• 1 teaspoon ajwain seeds

• 1 teaspoon cumin powder

• 1 teaspoon ginger powder

• ½ teaspoon kala namak

• ½ teaspoon turmeric powder

• scant ½ teaspoon mace powder

To finish

• 1 cup (250 ml) coconut milk

• 8–10 fresh curry leaves

Heat the mustard oil, ghee and yoghurt with the white sea salt, cloves and bay leaves in a large cast-iron kadai or heavy based saucepan over high heat, stirring constantly. You’ll notice how rich and thick the fat base is, even before the fat from the chicken skin can add to it. This very dense bed will provide some of the camouflage for the ajwain seeds. Once the yoghurt starts to spatter and split, add the chicken thigh cutlets and begin browning. Keep over high heat and use the Kashmiri Hindu method of cooking (see page 97). Cook until the chicken is very well browned, about 20 minutes. As the yoghurt evaporates, the base fats will become oil-like. At this point you need to pay attention, stirring almost constantly to prevent the chicken sticking too much. Meanwhile, combine all the masala ingredients in a katori or small bowl and keep by the stovetop. While the chicken is browning, place the tomatoes in a pressure cooker and cover with water. Bring to pressure and cook for 1–2 minutes before turning the pressure cooker o and force-releasing the steam. Drain, skin and core the tomatoes, then purée them using a hand-held blender. Stir in the fenugreek powder. When the chicken is browned, remove the pan from the heat briefly to prevent spatters and add the tomato purée. Add a little water to the purée vessel and swish it around to get as much of the tomato out as possible. Stir through, return to the heat and deglaze the cooking vessel, then immediately add the masala. The chicken will become rich and the oils will split the tomato. Cook together for 2–3 minutes.

Transfer the chicken and tomato to the pressure cooker, making sure you scrape out every last bit of sauce. Set the pressure cooker to high and cook until it emits one or two jets of steam. Lower to a medium putter, then continue to cook for 8–10 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the pressure cooker depressurise on its own. If you don’t have a pressure cooker, continue cooking in the saucepan. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 45–60 minutes, adding more water if necessary to stop the chicken cooking dry. Open the pressure cooker. If yours is flameproof, place it over low heat. If not, transfer the chicken and sauce to a large heavy-based saucepan over low heat. Stir in the coconut milk and cook for 10 minutes for the masala to thicken. Just before serving, stir the fresh curry leaves through. The final sauce will be rich and creamy but also deep and strong, with a tail pungency courtesy of the ajwain seeds leading a marching band of charismatically pungent spices.

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What We Call Masala

by Sarina Kamini

Masala's exhilarating secrets hide in every Indian family's spice tin — cook and spice mistress Sarina Kamini's recipes will bring them to life in your kitchen.

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