Curry Dinner

My friend Cathy just returned from Egypt, and brought me some Egyptian curry powder so that meant curry dinner. I’m not sure what makes Egyptian curry different from other curries, though I do know that curry is not a spice, but an amalgam of spices mixed together, and really refers to the dish itself; meat (or not) and vegetables cooked together with a blend of spices that generally include, but isn’t limited to turmeric, tamarind, onion, coriander, chilli pepper, cumin, fenugreek, pepper, and mustard. There are curries made all over the world. Indonesian and Thai curries are made with coconut milk, and Caribbean curries are very hot. I never connected Egypt with curry, and when I Google Egyptian curry the first thing that pops up is something from Urban Dictionary that is a bit unsavory, so if you must Google on.

If you’re an even occasional reader here, you know I’m not a fan of spicy food, but I do like a mild curry. On my way home from seeing Cathy I stopped and got some chicken leg quarters and cauliflower and got to work cooking. Well after a short nap, and some other methods of procrastination. I started to search for recipes, but gave up, and decided to rely on myself and my own instincts. The curry powder smelled mild, and rather than adding heat I added smoked paprika. Though this curry was very mild, you could use this recipe for any type of curry you have, or get. Keep in mind curry is one of those spices that gets hotter each time you reheat it.

This is the kind of recipe you could adapt to suit your taste as well as your pantry. Add whatever veggies you have on hand, and if you want an all vegetarian curry dice up some potato and add them, Frozen peas would be nice, and would add some color; if you’re using them toss them in at the last five minutes or they’ll turn that awful green. If you want to make this with shrimp, sauté them separately and toss them into the sauce right before serving or they’ll turn to mush.

Chicken Curry

Print recipe

Serves	2
Prep time	15 minutes
Cook time	45 minutes
Total time	1 hour
Meal type	Main Dish
Misc	Serve Hot

Ingredients

2 chicken leg quarters (about 1.25-1.5 lbs)
1/2 Large sweet onion (sliced thin)
1/2 Large cauliflower (about 1 lb. Cut into small florets)
3 Large carrots (peeled and cut into 1/4" thin slices on a slant)
2 tablespoons oil
1/4 cup flour
2 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika (optional)
2 teaspoons kosher salt

Directions

Step 1
Using a some of the flour, lightly dust chicken on both sides, brushing off any excess Heat oil in a large, wide pan over medium high heat Brown chicken on both sides, remove from pan Reduce heat to medium
Step 2
Allow pan to cool a bit (remove from heat for 30 seconds) then add onions and carrots, and cook over medium heat for 7-8 minutes, until vegetables start to soften
Step 3
Add spices and stir until spices become fragrant, about 2 minutes Add flour to pan and stir another minute Add stock slowly, stirring as you add it
Step 4
Add cauliflower to pan, then add chicken Cover and cook over low heat for 40 minutes Serve over rice