MEDITERRANEAN CHICKEN CURRY
A cream chicken curry combined with courgettes, carrots and peppers – infused with Mediterranean flavours, served with Jasmine Rice
Ingredients
- 1 Kg Chicken thigh boneless (medium pieces)
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 200 g courgettes (cut into halves)
- 200 g carrots (cut into rounds)
- 200 g Red Pepper/capsicum (diced)
- 200 g onion (thick slices)
- 3 cloves garlic (chopped)
- 235 g boiled chick peas (or 1tin of 400g)
- 235 g boiled brown lentils (I have used 1tin of green lentils in water in the recipe here)
- 400 ml coconut milk (or 1 tin)
- 200 ml fresh cream
- ½ cup coriander (chopped)
Harissa paste
- 200 g red pepper/capsicum (or roasted pepper in a bottle available in supermarkets)
- 2-3 tsp red chilli flakes
- 1 1/2 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 2 tsp dried mint (if not available you can use oregano)
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Salt
Spices
- 4 tsp tikka masala (powder)
- 4 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp black pepper powder
- Salt to taste
Rice
- 400 g Jasmine Rice
- 3-4 spring onions
- 5-6 cloves garlic
- 3 tbsp sesame oil (use any oil with some sesame seeds if not available)
- Salt
Instructions
Harissa Paste
- This paste is prepared in few different ways using a variety of ingredients. It can be used as a marinate for roast dishes or even as a dip. You can even spice up your sandwiches or wraps with this tangy sauce. It can also be stored in a bottle in a fridge to use as and when needed.In this recipe I have used a simple yet tasteful method of making harissa paste.Roast the pepper directly on a flame.Once it cools down, peel off the black skin, using a knife. Combine all the ingredients and make a paste using a blender. Do not use fresh mint as it will take away the red colour of the sauce.
Chicken
- Marinate the chicken pieces with salt, 2 tsp paprika, 3 tsp tikka masala and 2-3 tbsp harissa paste. You can adjust the spice level according to your taste by adding paste. Set aside for 15-20 minutes.
Vegetables
- In a pot add olive oil and saute all the vegetables including garlic and onion on a high flame. Keep stirring occasionally. After 5 minutes add chick peas and lentils. Fry for another few minutes and add ½ tsp salt (remember there's salt added in the chicken as well), 1tsp tikka masala, 2 tsp paprika and mix in. Fry on high flame for 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Then add coconut milk and fresh cream. When it starts boiling lower the flame, cover and simmer cook for about 10 minutes. Vegetables need to be tender but not over cooked as we don't want the vegetables to be soggy.
Chicken
- Whilst the vegetables are cooking, heat a frying pan, add some olive oil and place chicken pieces. On medium high flame, after 3-4 minutes turn the pieces when they are crisp from the bottom. Once they are crisp on the other side as well, lower the flame and cover with a lid. Let it cook in steam for 5-6 minutes. This is to cook the chicken from inside and maintain the juiciness. Before switching off the flame, make sure the chicken pieces are completely cooked.Add the chicken pieces to the gravy. Let it simmer for another 6-8 minutes to blend in all the flavours together. Also add black pepper powder and coriander leaves. Taste the seasoning and adjust the salt and the spice level before switching off. To increase the spice level use harissa paste if needed.
Rice
- Wash the rice and keep aside. It needs no soaking. In a pot add water (about 4 cups or enough for boiling the rice), 3-4 tsp salt and let it boil. Add rice, when it starts to boil, continue boiling until the rice is cooked. Stir couple of times at the beginning because this rice has a tendency to stick together. It usually takes about 8-10 minutes for this rice to be completely cooked. When done, drain the water using a sieve and wash under cold water to prevent the rice form getting overcooked. Leave it in the sieve for about 10 minutes, so that all the water is properly drained. You can use the rice simply like this or add extra flavours by following the recipe further…..In a wok add oil, saute garlic cloves and spring onions for two minutes on high flame. Add rice and some salt, mix it in gently. Leave it on low flame for 5-10 minutes to blend in the flavours properly.
