The first curry I ever made is still the one I make the most, mainly because its super delicious and easy to prepare, no fancy ingredients involved. The curry isn’t really photogenic, but what it lacks in looks it makes up for in taste. I call it “Spices Curry” since it is based only on ground spices. I’m not sure it can be considered as a traditional Indian curry but it is definitely in the right direction.
We love this curry in its non-kosher non-vegetarian version but there are vegan/kosher options here, see details below.
The curry is served with white rice. It has no problems with being be stored in the fridge and re-heated, it even emphasizes the taste.
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 20-25 minutes
Ingredients (for 4 servings)
- 1 large onion
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp white pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 250 ml carton heavy cream
- 3 cm ginger
- 4-5 garlic cloves
- 2-3 potatoes (or potatoes and sweet potatoes)
- 500 gr chicken breast cut into bite-size pieces
- bunch of cilantro and some more for garnish
Directions
Thinly slice the onion. Cook the potatoes (and sweet potatoes) until almost done dice. I usually take a shortcut here and dice the potatoes, place them in a covered bowl with a little water and cook in the microwave for 6-7 minutes.
Fry the onion with some oil until the onion becomes transparent. Add all the spices – turmeric, garam masala, cumin, white pepper and salt and mix well. Add cream and some water, mix and lower the flame. While the curry is cooking I usually add between half to one cup of water, the sauce is pretty thick and tends to burn pretty easily so make sure to add water when needed.
Add grated ginger and crushed garlic, mix and cook for 2 minutes. Add potatoes, chicken and chopped cilantro leaves. Mix well. Cook for 20-25 minutes or until the chicken is ready and the potatoes are soft. Mix occasionally and add water if the sauce starts to stick to the bottom of the pan.
Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves and serve with white rice.
Comments and suggestions
How to make it Vegan/Kosher. The cream can be replaced with coconut cream. Replacing the chicken is a little bit more complicated. You can just skip it and add more potatoes or sweet potatoes and mushrooms. Another option is replacing it with tofu but for this recipe the tofu will require some special treatment – cover it with a clean kitchen towel or paper towel, place something heavy on top and leave for 30-60 minutes. Cut it into small cubes and marinate in a mixture of soy sauce, crushed garlic (or garlic powder), black pepper and paprika. It should marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes and maximum a day or two in the fridge. By the way, if you like tofu it is always good to have marinated tofu cubes in the fridge, you can just toss them into any dish you’re making or bake them for 10 minutes in high heat and eat as a snack. Add the marinated cubes at the same stage as the chicken (with the potatoes and cilantro). Some people bake or fry the cubes separately and add them to the curry few minutes before its ready just to mix the tastes, but I think this is just over complicated and unnecessary.
White pepper. White pepper and black pepper are made from the same plant but pass a different process. Their taste isn’t identical, white pepper is more fruity and less hot. The white color is also important in this dish. However, it is possible to replace the white pepper with black pepper in this dish, and if you are sensitive to spicy food put a little less than a tea spoon.
In short
Cook 2-3 potatoes and sweet potatoes until almost ready, cut into cubes. Thinly slice 1 large onion. Fry the onion until transparent, add 1 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp garam masala, 1 tsp white pepper and 1 flat tsp salt and mix well. Add 250 ml carton heavy cream and some water. Add 3 cm ginger (grated) and 4-5 garlic cloves (crushed). Mix and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add 500 gr chicken breast cut into bite-size pieces and the potato & sweet potato cubes. Cook for 20-25 minutes or until the chicken is ready and the potatoes are soft. Mix occasionally and add water when needed. Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves and serve with white rice.
