Sri Lankan Chicken Curry

So at least once a week the husband and I have the same conversation.
Me: “what do you want for dinner”?
Him:”something I can eat with just a spoon”.
Like a knife and fork is so much hassle….
Anyway, like the good wife I am, I usually concede and make a meal that requires one utensil, and curry is a pretty good option.
Don’t be put off by the long list of ingredients, it’s all dry spices that are just chucked into the mix ( that’s right, I didn’t make a paste, so sue me!) I hope this is a hit in your house like it is in mine and you all get a foot rub with the non-spoon holding hand as thanks.

Method

It’s always smart to prep everything first, so don’t be a dumb-ass.

If your chicken thighs are small you can leave them whole, or cut them pretty chunky.

Chop your onion and chillies, crush your garlic, grate your ginger.

Mix all the dry spices together in a small bowl and set aside.

Heat the oil over a low to medium heat in a large pot.

Add the onions, ginger, garlic and chillies and cook stirring to soften the onions.

Add the curry leaves and the dry spice mix and stir around until the spices become fragrant.

Add the chicken, cinnamon sticks, tamarind and tomato paste and stir until everything is nicely coated.

Throw in the coconut milk, tinned tomatoes and vinegar, then turn up the heat a bit until everything is bubbling nicely.

Lower the heat to a simmer, cover with the lid and let it cook away for 20 minutes.

Remove the lid and simmer for a further 10 minutes to reduce the sauce a bit.

If you haven’t been wasting your time while this was cooking, you would have whipped up some coconut cauliflower rice to have with it (find recipe here).

Serves 4-6.

Ingredients

  • 1 kg chicken thighs (skinless and boneless)
  • 1 brown onion, halved and sliced
  • Clove garlic, crushed
  • Thumb-size piece of ginger, grated
  • 3 small green chillies, chopped fine
  • 20 curry leaves
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 400ml tin coconut milk
  • 400 gram tin tomatoes
  • 2 tablespoons tamarind paste
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 2 teaspoons chilli powder
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 2 teaspoons ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground fenugreek
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground fennel
  • 3 tablespoons coconut oil