For last night’s dinner, I decided to try a curry dish from Anjum Anand and selected the classic northern chicken curry from her website. I love chicken and just like Peter from Kalofagas, I am also a thigh man and used this particular cut in creating this wonderful dish.

One of the mysteries for me about Indian food has always been, “what’s in it?”. The spices tend to be warmer spices like cinnamon and cloves, but I never really understood what else went into the pot. I’ve come to discover that freshly pureed tomatoes are a common component to making a curry. Aside from this, it’s really a matter of spices, cooking method, and the meat.

Classic northern chicken curry
view recipe at AnjumAnand.co.uk

This curry starts by heating a pot with oil and adding the whole spices to snap and pop around for a few seconds before adding the onions to brown. Anjum provides clear instructions, “cook until a rich golden brown, stirring often, around 10 minutes.” I found that the timing she provided to be 100% accurate, which isn’t always the case when following a recipe. It was clear that these recipes were tried and true.

If I overly simplify the approach to making curry, it goes something like this:

1. Quickly toast whole spices in oil
2. Add and brown savory items, like onions and garlic
3. Add tomatoes and powdered spices, allow to reduce until dry
4. Add meat and water, cook until done and liquid reduced by half
5. Stir in aromatic spices, like garam masala and fresh coriander/cilantro

During step #4, the curry looked something like this as it bubbled away:

I took Anjum’s suggestion and allowed the curry to cook slowly over a lower heat. She stated the slower it cooked, the better it would taste. Instead of 30 minutes or so, I let it cook for nearly an hour. The sauce thickened and took on a deep, rich color. The entire house smelled absolutely amazing.

The resulting dish was delicious. The chicken was tender and blanketed in the spiced curry. I think the reason I enjoy Indian food so much is that the ‘warm’ spices are so soothing while also providing a punch of flavor. It’s exciting and comforting all in one bite.

I served the curry with both steamed rice and my freshly made naan. I don’t know what else to say … Anjum remains my new food crush. There are a few other interesting recipes I’ve seen which I’ll be trying in the weeks ahead. Hopefully, I won’t bore you with my Indian food fascination. I’ll make sure to throw in a few other dishes here and there to mix it up :-)

You might also like these posts:
Naan two ways
Anjum Anand is my new food crush

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