chicken curry in a hurry
Back when I was pregnant with LK I received the cookbook My Indian Kitchen by Hari Nayak to review.
Having never cooked Indian food from scratch before, I was a little intimidated. With a 2 year old and a newborn, I didn’t need complicated… I needed easy.
Hari suggested I try his Chicken Curry in a Hurry. He said it was an easy, fool proof recipe.
Not knowing what the heck I was doing, I followed his instructions step by step. The only step I didn’t do was make his home-style garam masala because I already had a bottle of the ground version.
I was amazed at how fast this meal came together. Mr. Weekly Bite gave it two thumbs up! M even gave it a little taste, which I was totally happy with since she’s never had Indian food before.
I served the chicken curry over brown rice with a cucumber salad on the side.
This recipe gave me the confidence to tackle more of Hari’s recipes!
Chicken Curry in a Hurry from My Indian Kitchen
- 1 large onion roughly chopped
- 2 fresh green chili peppers, coarsely chopped
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- 3 tablespoons coarsely chopped garlic
- 1 inch piece fresh ginger, coarsely chopped
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 1/4 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts, cubed
- 1 tsp salt, plus more to taste
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tsp garam masala (or Home-Style Garam Masala from the book)
- 1 cup water
- 4 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Directions:
Place the onion, green chili peppers, turmeric, garlic, ginger, & cumin seeds in a blender or food processor. Add a few tablespoons water and blend until a smooth paste forms.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan or wok or medium-high heat. Add the chicken & salt. Cook for 7-10 minutes or until golden. Using a slotted spoon, remove the chicken and set aside. To the same pan, add the spice paste and cook over medium heat for about 3 minutes until fragrant. Add the chicken, tomato paste, garam masala, and cook, stirring well for about 4 minutes. Add the water, stir, and cover the pan.
Simmer over medium heat until chicken is cooked through. Taste for seasoning adding more salt if needed. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro and serve hot.
I love Indian flavors and this looks un-intimidating! I’ll totally try this. Thanks!
This looks beautiful! And is really quite easy.
I love curry…this is going to become a staple I can already tell!
I’m a huge fan of Indian (even though I haven’t tried it at a restaraunt). I’ve tried it it Whole Foods hot bar and also the Amy’s frozen meals … and I am hooked ! I tried making a channa masala recipe from a blogger I won’t name and really didn’t care for it, so I thought I didn’t like making Indian at home and took a break for a while. Next I tried this recipe: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/1716 and really enjoyed it. The recipe you made seems very similarly spiced. I think I’d dig this chicken ! Happy Friday !
Curry is one of my favorites! This looks delicious 🙂
I am all about in a hurry lately. This looks delicious Estela! I hope your little family is doing well!
This sounds so wonderful. I love INdian food, especially when it doesn’t take long to make it! Eating Indian food out can sometimes give me the worst stomach upset, but if I can control it myself, why not?! I’ll have to look into this book. Thanks for the recipe!
this sounds great, and it looks so authentic! One question: are green chili peppers the same as jalepeno peppers? or did you use green bell peppers? or, what else is there… habanero? let me know, i’d love to make this soon! 🙂
Hi Kristen, they green peppers are a little different. They were very similar to a bell pepper, but longer and skinner in shape. They tasted very similar to a bell pepper, just a little more mild, not hot at all.
This looks delicious! Thanks for sharing the recipe. Sometimes I’m intimidated by Indian cookbooks as well, because the ingredient lists are long or they take a while to make, but this looks like a winner!
Hi Estela,
The official website for the book My Indian Kitchen is http://www.MyIndianKitchen.com