Coriander Tomato Chicken Curry

This must be my week to reference other bloggers and try out some of their recipes.  When I saw Sadia’s Coriander and Tomato Chicken Curry @ Sweet& Savory, I knew I just had to bookmark it and try it on a bone-chilling winter’s day, and that’s exactly what I did.  We experienced our very first cold, snowy winter’s day here on the East Coast of the USA.  It was not pleasant.  I know soups, stews, curries and crock pot meals, certainly tick the boxes for me when it comes to preparing comfort foods in the winter.  My meals in the summertime remain, lighter – grilled meats and fish, lots of salads and grains.  I wonder if Sadia feels the same, I’m not quite sure what the cooler days are like in Kuwait, but that’s where Sadia lives and still enjoys these wonderful curries all the year round.  I hope you enjoy this delicious curry, imagine the aroma in my house with all the wonderful goodness that this curry provides.

Coriander Tomato Chicken

• Servings: 4
• Difficulty: moderate
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Ingredients

• 1 package boneless, skinless chicken approx, 2lbs (that’s what I used, you can use bone-in too)
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro
• 5 cloves garlic
• 2-3 green chillies
•  1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp water
• 3 tbsp oil
• 1/2 tsp pepper powder
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 3 curry leaves
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 medium onions chopped
• 1/2 tsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp ginger minced
• 2 medium tomatoes, diced (I actually added tomato paste, as I didn’t have enough tomatoes)
• 1/4 tsp tumeric
• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/3 cup coconut milk
• 1/2 cup water

Method

Marinate the chicken with 1 tsp chilli powder (I used less), 1 tbsp lemon juice, salt to taste.  Cover and refrigerate at least one hour.

1.  Meanwhile, place the cilantro, garlic, chillies, 1/2 tsp cumin, lemon juice and 1 tablespoon water in the bowl of a food processor.  Process 20-30 seconds or until the mixture forms a paste, set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a pan over medium-high heat.
3. Add the black pepper and red pepper flakes and let it cook in the oil for a minute.  Add the cumin, onions and brown sugar and curry leaves to the pan and toss to coat the onions in the spices.  Let cook for 6-8 minutes, or until the onions are nicely browned.
4. Remove the chicken from the marinade and add to the pan.  Toss to coat it in the onions and spices.  Cook for 2-3 minutes.
5. Reduce the heat to medium, then add the ginger, tomatoes, tumeric, and cardamom and give it a good stir.  Add in the contents of the food processor or blender, stir, and let cook for 2-3 minutes.
6. Pour in the coconut milk and water and let the contents of the pan slowly come to a boil over medium heat.  Once it has reached a boil, cover the pan and reduce the heat to low.  Simmer for 20 minutes.  The sauce should be reduced and thick.  Add salt and black pepper as needed.

I made a delicious pilau rice to go with the chicken curry and garnished it with roasted cashews.

I’m pretty chuffed with some of my photos that I took on the manual setting of my camera for this post, (and not the automatic setting).  They say food photos should be taken in the daylight with plenty of natural light.  These days it gets dark around 4.30 or 5pm, and that’s when I’m usually in the kitchen getting dinner prepared with my glass of vino :).   I have to play around with more of the settings and get it all right, but for now, it’s an improvement.  🙂

A side salad, rotis and you’re good to go 🙂 Enjoy friends!

Let’s trot off to Angie’s 50th FF party  .  Today her co-hosts are Selma and Sue .  Wonderful ladies with such amazing blogs.  Click on all 3 names to reach their blogs for a snoop around.  🙂