PRO BONO STREET FOOD RECIPES #2

CHICKEN BICKEN CURRY
I spent some time getting this one right: Beginning in my tiny kitchen in Brighton in 1993-1996, then in Cape Town 1996-1999, New York 1999-2009 (I cooked it for my mate Charlotte in NY this year). I've served this for many a dinner guest and it always goes down well. Okay it's nothing like a real curry but it is a real English Curry, whatever the fuck that means (bastardized!) but it will still make you sweat...


Feeds 4
1 onion
4 chicken breasts
a small lump of fresh root ginger, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 jar Patak’s balti paste (or similar)
1 bunch fresh coriander
6 curry leaves
2 teaspoons each of ground cumin, coriander, turmeric
and garam masala
4 cardamom pods
1 chicken stock cube
600ml/1 pint/2 1/2 cups water
1 x 200g block creamed coconut
1 green chilli (chopped)
a good knob of butter

Chop the onion. However you want. Small is good. Fry until golden. This is important as you don’t want to make everything taste of onion.

While the onion is cooking, wash and chop the chicken breasts into smallish chunks. Add the chicken to the onion when it looks like it’s about to burn. Then add the ginger and the garlic.
Fry up for 5 minutes or until the chicken turns white. Add the curry paste.

Chop and add three-quarters of the bunch of coriander (save the rest). Add the curry leaves, ground spices and cardamom pods. Add the stock cube and enough of the water to cover the meat. Put the pan on the lowest heat setting available and cook for 20 minutes.

Chop the coconut block, then add it to the chicken with the chilli, remaining water and the butter too. Cook for about an hour and then remove from the heat and allow to stand for a couple of hours.

Gently reheat, sprinkle with the remaining coriander, and serve with basmati rice and/or naan bread.