Vidur’s Chicken Curry

I’m going to be honest. I like to think of myself as an adventurous cook who can dive headfirst into any new recipe. There is a BIG caveat to this. It’s Indian food. It’s simply not something I ever thought I’d be able to make with any semblance of tasting authentic. Then my friend Vidur taught us his mom’s go-to recipe on our Sunday night Zoom. Breakthrough! With the right spices (this curry at least) is incredibly easy to make!

Ingredients (for ~2 portions):

• 1 red onion, minced
• 3 large cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 tbs olive or canola oil
• 2 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1-2 tsp red chili flakes
• 1 tsp garam masala*
• 1/4 fresh chili pepper + garnish (I used a Fresno chili)
• 2 tsp tumeric
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 2 chicken breasts, cubed
• 6 oz tomato paste
• 1 tbs Greek yogurt (I used non-fat Fage)
• 4 tbs water
• Optional- rice or naan (cook according to instructions)
• Optional- fresh cilantro for garnish

Directions:

1. Do your prep first. If you’re making rice, I’d recommend starting that now as well to align timing.
2. Heat oil on low in a large pot. Add onion, cumin, and 2 tsp salt. Stir frequently for 2 min, then add garlic. Keep stirring till onions start to lose their purple color.
3. Add all other spices and fresh pepper, continuing to stir frequently for 5 min. Add in a drizzle more oil if starts to stick.
4. Add in chicken breast. Stir and cook for 10 min (until almost cooked through – this will vary by how thick your chicken is).
5. Add the tomato paste, stir, and cook for 2 min. Add 2 tbs yogurt, stir again. Add the water. Cover with a lid, turn down to low, and let simmer for 20 minutes.
6. Enjoy! I had mine over a bed of brown rice and topped with some cilantro and extra red pepper.

Notes: Garam masala is a very commonly used Indian spice. It may sound exotic if you’ve never heard of it before (such as for myself) but I was pleasantly surprised to find it in almost every grocery store (Safeway, Lucky’s, and Whole Foods) and on the major delivery services (Instacart and Good Eggs). Some of the most common spice brands I see all sell it; here are some links and photos to help guide your search: Spicely, Simply Organics, Morton & Bassett, and McCormick.

What should I listen to as I cook? “The Difference – Extended” by Flume and Toro y Moi

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Indian food is not something I ever thought I’d be able to make. Then @khannavidur taught us this chicken curry recipe on our weekly Zoom. Turns out you just need the right spices! Ingredients (For ~2 portions): 1 red onion, minced 3 large cloves of garlic, minced 2 tbs olive or canola oil 2 tsp cumin 2 tsp salt 1 tsp pepper 1-2 tsp red chili flakes 1 tsp Garam masala 1/4 Fresno chili pepper + garnish 2 tsp tumeric 2 tsp ground ginger 2 chicken breasts, cubed 6 oz tomato paste 1 tbs Greek yogurt 4 tbs water Optional- rice/naan + cilantro garnish Directions: Do your prep first. Start your rice if you’re making any to align timing. Heat oil on low in a large pot. Add onion, cumin, and 2 tsp salt. Stir frequently for 2 min, then add garlic. Keep stirring till onions start to lose their purple color. Add all other spices and fresh pepper, continuing to stir frequently for 5 min. Add in a drizzle more oil if starts to stick. Add in chicken breast. Stir and cook for 10 min (until almost cooked through – this will vary by how thick your chicken is). Add the tomato paste, stir, and cook for 2 min. Add 2 tbs yogurt, stir again. Add the water. Cover with a lid, turn down to low, and let simmer for 20 minutes. Enjoy! I had mine over a bed of @traderjoe’s basmati brown rice (the all time best brown rice).

A post shared by The Carmel Kama'aina (@carmelkamaaina) on May 3, 2020 at 6:03pm PDT