Foolproof Chicken Curry

Here's a lovely classic curry for the weekend. 

Foolproof Chicken Curry,  from a book called 'Rhubarb Rhubarb' which Jo Thompson a lovely friend of mine wrote with her friend Mary Jane Paterson.  The book is a collection of correspondence between Jo, who is a wonderful garden designer and Mary,  who is an amazing cook. Both highly skilled in their own area but lacking confidence in each other’s. 

"Jo shares gardening tips which are interesting, quick and helpful for beginners.  Mary Jane shares secrets and knowledge gathered over a lifetime of providing fabulous food for family and friends". 

The witty correspondence between the two friends is accompanied by pretty illustrations and photographs. It’s a lovely book and makes gardening seem achievable for such a terrible gardener as myself. The book would make a wonderful gift for a friend who feels they lack expertise in either of these areas. 

Ingredients
Serves 6

4 chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces or 600g leftover cooked chicken
2 chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tsp ground ginger, or 1 inch fresh root ginger peeled and finely chopped
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp ground cumin
4 cardamon pods
1 tbsp medium curry powder
80g grounds almonds
40g tin of coconut milk
400g tin of tomatoes
2 tbsp olive oil or sunflower oil
200ml chicken stock or plain boiled water
salt and pepper
squeeze of lemon or lime juice

Method 

Chop the chicken into bite size pieces and brown them over a medium heat in a little olive oil for a few minutes. Set aside. In the pan fry the onions until soft and then add the garlic and ginger. Add all the dry spices and fry for one minute. Put all the onions and spices into a mini processor and add the almonds. Add a tablespoon of boiled water or stock to thin it a bit. Next take a large, flat casserole dish, or saucepan and heat a tablespoon of oil, add the spice paste and the browned chicken. Stir round for a minute and before it starts sticking add the coconut milk and the tin of tomatoes. Then add the salt and pepper to taste. If it is too thick add some water or stock. Cook for half an hour on a low to medium heat. Finish with some lime or lemon juice. 

Serve with your desired accompaniments, perhaps some fresh coriander,  a yoghurt and cucumber raita, poppadoms, rice and mango chutney. 

I left out the stage of whizzing the onion and spices in the processor. It just made for a chunkier sauce.