Asian Tour Chicken Curry

[mrputter]

Asian Tour Chicken Curry




Ingredients

Chicken
• 1 red bell pepper
• 2 Tbsp ghee
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 3-4 cloves garlic
• 2-3 in3 ginger
• 3 chilies
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp Spanish smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp rosemary
• 3 chicken breasts
• 1/2 C dry white wine
• 1 bay leaf
• 25 curry leaves (about 3-4 sprigs)
• 2 Tbsp cumin
• 1 Tbsp coriander
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp chili flakes
• 1/4 tsp kalonji
• 1/4 tsp celery seed
• 1/2 tsp mustard powder
• 1/2 tsp caraway seed
• 1 tsp basil
• 1/2 tsp ground pepper
• 4 green cardamom pods
• 4 pandan leaves
• 3 roma tomatoes
• 3/4 C coconut milk
Rice
• 1 1/2 C jasmine rice
• 1/8 tsp saffron
• 3/4 C coconut milk
Garnish
• 1/2 C cilantro
• 1 1/2 Tbsp shredded coconut

Procedure

1. Roast the red pepper. If you have an open-flame stove or a barbequeue, that's best; otherwise just turn your oven to broil/grill/its highest setting, and put the pepper on the rack closest to the element. Leave the pepper close to the flame/element until it is blackened and blistering, then turn it so a new side faces the heat, leave it until it is black and blistering, turn it again, etc. Continue this until it is black on all sides (i.e.: over at least 70% - 80% of its surface). Remove the pepper from the heat and put it in a paper bag to cool (seal the bag and set it aside). If you don't have a paper bag, put it in a bowl, and cover with tinfoil.
   
2. Take the saffron, and finely grind it using a mortar-and-pestle.
3. Dice the onion, mince the garlic and grate the ginger, which should give about 1 Tbsp ginger paste. Finely chop the chili. Set a large (4-5 qt) nonstick pot on a burner and turn it to 70% or so... until it is hot enough to boil water but not vigorously. Wait until it heats up a bit then put in the ghee, onion, garlic, ginger and chili. Give it a few stirs with a wooden spoon.
4. After about 2 minutes, the onions should be soft and translucent, but not burning (if they start to burn or caramelize, turn down the heat and stir them around a bit). Throw in the chicken breasts, the rosemary and half the paprika. Give it a stir, then cover and wait about 4 minutes to let the chicken brown (see image). Flip the chicken over, cover and repeat. Now add the dry white wine. I like a sauvignon blanc, although a dry riesling can also give it an interesting flavour. Throw in the bay leaf, then cover the pot and allow to simmer a few more minutes.
   
5. Take the curry leaves, roll them into a little ball, and put them into a tea ball. Add the tea ball, cumin, coriander, turmeric, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, chili flakes, kalonji, celery seed, mustard powder, caraway seed, basil and ground pepper to the pot. Crush the cardamom pods between your fingers to pop them open, then throw them in, too. Add about 1 C of water, stir and re-cover.
   
6. Take the red pepper out of the bag and remove the skin (this should happen easily). Cut it open and use a spoon to remove the seeds and core. Chop the remaining pepper into 1 cm2 pieces. Chop the tomatoes into the same size. Also cut the pandan leaves into quarters.
   
7. Start preparing the rice, in a rice cooker or pot, as is your preference. Substitute 3/4 C coconut milk for the same volume of water. Also throw in the saffron you ground up earlier.
8. Add the pepper and tomatoes to the pot, stir, then layer the pandan leaves over top, so they can steam. Cover and let sit for 10 minutes.
   
9. With a pair of tongs, remove the chicken breasts from the pot, dice into small pieces, then add them back in and stir.
   
10. Finally, add the remaining 3/4 C of coconut milk to the pot. Turn the temperature up and bring it to a boil, then immediately turn the temperature to low and let it cool, stirring regularly (the coconut milk at the bottom will burn if you don't stir). When it has thickened enough (about the same time as the rice is done), remove from the heat. Remove the bay leaf, pandan leaves, cardamom pods, and tea ball. Transfer to serving bowl, and garnish with the shredded coconut and the cilantro, chopped.
11. Om nom nom.

Veg: Not, but can be made vegan by sustituting olive oil for the ghee, substituteing extra firm tofu for chicken, dicing, and adding to pot in step 5.
Qty: 1 mrputter, 2-4 normal people.
Time: 1 hour