Easy, Quick Chicken Curry!

Hello! 

I haven't been cooking as much of late - but that will change after this weekend :)

This curry came from a great article in The Guardian. I call it a great article b/c the recipes in it are very good, though whoever thinks a student would have half of the ingredients in their pantry, or the money / inclination to buy them is a little deluded me thinks. I doubt many grown ups have 'garam masala' in their pantry.

(Yes, I do, but a spice shop is to me what a crack house is to drug addicts).

This is a very easy one-pot curry. Well 2 pots: one to mix everything in, and then a pan to cook it all in. But still, it is fantastic, and for a made-from-scratch curry, it is very quick - around half an hour. And it is delicious!

I served it with some naan bread I picked up from my local indian take-away.

Chicken, potato and spinach balti by Anjum Anand

3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp ghee or unsalted butter
750g chicken thighs, skinned
7 baby potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 handfuls of baby spinach
Handful of finely chopped coriander leaves and stems

For the curry base:
6 fat garlic cloves, peeled
¾ inch ginger, peeled
3 medium tomatoes, chopped into large chunks
3 good tbsp of full-fat Greek yoghurt
(don't do what I did and by Harris Farm's 'Plain Yighurt' - it is still a sweet yoghurt w/ sugar in there!)
1½ tbsp coriander powder
1¼ tsp garam masala
¼-½ tsp red chilli powder, or more if you like it hot
½ tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp cumin powder
Salt to taste

For the base, make a paste of the ginger, garlic and tomatoes. I used my Bamix thing, but you could use a potato masher for the tomatoes and finely grate the ginger and garlic – the sauce will not be as smooth though. But the taste will be the same.

Stir in the spices, salt and yoghurt. Add the chicken and potatoes.



Heat the oil and butter/ghee in a medium non-stick saucepan. Add the onion and cook over a moderate flame, stirring often, until the onion is well browned on the edges, around 7-8 minutes.

Add the chicken, potatoes and curry base and cook over a moderate-high heat, tossing the chicken in the paste quite often until small oil droplets start to form on the base or edges of the pan; this takes around 10-12  minutes. If it still isn't cooked, you can add a splash of water and cook for another 5 minutes or until the water has reduced.

Add enough water to come halfway up the chicken and bring to the boil. Cover and cook on a low flame until the chicken and potatoes are cooked through, around 12-15 minutes more (depending on the size of the joints and potatoes).

Add the spinach and, once wilted, taste and adjust the seasoning. There should be enough of the sauce for a creamy gravy; if not, add a little more water. If you have added too much (like me! Don't let this picture be your guide! You want less water!), turn the heat up and allow to reduce.

Stir through the coriander and serve, with a dollop of extra yoghurt if desired, and some naan bread, or roti if you fancy. I don't think this needs rice - the potatoes are filling enough, even without naan.

Steak Dinner!

Steak w/  a mushroom red wine 'sauce' kind of thing. This isn't from a recipe, just something I pulled together, but it was very yummy, and quite easy to do.

The weather last night in Sydney was just foul - its been a while since we had that kind of storm hit, almost tropical, and I don't think it is usual to have thunder & lightening in September! Storms in summer are pretty normal.

So I felt like cooking up a comforting meal, and this is what I came up with. You can pick all the bits up on your way home, and have dinner on the table pretty quickly.

1 steak per person
3 - 4 baby (cocktail) potatoes per person
3 mushrooms per person (I used flat mushies)
olive oil
red wine
salt + pepper
I also had some steamed carrot & beans & served them on the side.

Season the steaks w/ salt & pepper, and allow to sit at room temperature whilst you get on with the next step.

Par boil the baby potatoes. Whilst they are boiling, slice the mushrooms into strips. When the potatoes are ready (don't tip out the water!) slice into chunks. Heat some olive oil in a pan, then add a knob of butter (med-high heat). As the butter begins to 'foam' add the potatoes to the pan & cook until golden, then turn & cook the other side. Once golden all over (shouldn't take too long), remove from the pan & cover with foil (or put in a warm oven).

Return the reserved pot of water from cooking potatoes to the boil, and add the beans & carrot, if using.

Return the same pan (don't clean it) to med-high heat & add the steaks, and cook to your preferred level (I like my steaks rare).

Remove the steaks from the pan & let rest.

Still using the same pan, tip in the sliced mushrooms & stir around until coated in the jus. Stir until starting to soften, then increase the heat to high and pour in a good glug (maybe half a cup or so) of red wine. Stir well, scrapping up any bits stuck to the pan.

Place the steak on a plate, top w/ the mushrooms, and w/ the potatoes, beans & carrots on the side.

Have a glass of the red wine too :)

Enjoy!