House Curry

Adopted from Simply by Sabrina Ghayour - 2024

Makes a very useful, straightforward curry base —you can easily substitute the chicken. I prefer to make a curry paste with the toasted seeds for a smoother version. Makes a good quantity so you start with a plain curry and add to it for different servings.

Serves 4 - just halve quantities for two

Allow 2 hours for the curry to simmer and mature in taste.

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds

• 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds

• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds

• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds

• 1 cassia bark stick (not a cinnamon stick, as they are too strong)

• 3 cardamom pods, crushed

• 1 large onion, very finely chopped

• 7.5cm piece of fresh root ginger,

• peeled and grated or very finely chopped

• 4 fat garlic cloves, bashed and thinly sliced

• 1-2 small green 'rocket' chillies or 1-2 large red chillies to taste, stalks intact and split

• 8 large bone-in, skinless chicken thighs

• 2 teaspoons ground turmeric

• 400g can chopped tomatoes

• Sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper

Place a large saucepan over a medium-high heat and pour in the vegetable oil. Add the mustard, fenugreek, cumin and coriander seeds, the cassia bark and cardamom pods and fry, shaking the pan, until the mustard seeds begin to pop. Stir in the onion and fry for a few minutes until it begins to brown and caramelize but without burning.

Add the ginger, garlic and chillies to the pan and briefly stir-fry for a minute or so, then add the chicken thighs, turmeric and a generous amount of salt and pepper and stir until the chicken is well coated in the onion and spice mixture. Add the fresh tomatoes followed by the canned tomatoes, then pour over just enough cold water to cover the chicken. Reduce the heat and gently simmer stirring occasionally to prevent it sticking or catching and topping up the liquid level with a little cold water if necessary.

Note: The curry will need 1-2 hours simmering. So adjust the timing as necessary not to over cook the meat. If making a vegetable curry add them toward the end,

Remove the cassia bark and cardamom pods, then check and adjust the seasoning before serving.

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