Chicken Curry In Coconut Cream.....Exotic!!

And now.....we are going East to the land of great mathematicians and wisdom. You will have the oportunity to taste something Pakistani / Indian: the world famous Curry. To me a curry is a feast. The British education given to me plus the many good Pakistani and Indian co-workers and friends have made me  love their food which I am told by a very good Pakistani  friend of mine, is different.

The curry recipe, you are about to read

and very much enjoy I hope, is international. It is fit for various palates. Curry is a mixture of spices mixed together in specific proportions to produce the final taste which can change if the proportions are changed. To make matters easier there are ready mixes of various curries in good supermarkets. I personally prefer Sharwood's Indian Products.
A curry is eaten either with chicken, beef, lamb, fish, or vegetables and can be served with Basmati rice on the side which has a beautiful aroma in itself.
There are some ingredients which should always be used such as: Cilantro (fresh coriander which looks like parsley), ginger root, lots of yogurt to refresh your mouth (prefer the thick, rich Greek yogurt), cucumber, chilli peppers to pep up the taste, some kind of flat unleavened bread, chutney, and cashew nuts / raisins if you want to get fancy.

You will need:

Serves 4-6

-  800 gms of chicken breast cut in cubes.
-  1 tsp. level curry powder per person mixed with some warm water to make a paste.
-  2 onions thinly sliced.
-  2 cloves garlic, peeled, crushed and cut very small.
-  2 inches worth of ginger root, peeled, and grated.
-  200 ml coconut cream at room temperature.
-  1 Tbs. tomato paste if you wish.
-  1 hot chilli to taste (depending on how hot the curry powder mix you have).
-  1 liter of chicken stock.
-  1/2  bunch cilantro cut very small.
-  Salt to taste.
Method:
-  Preheat a Karahi  add any kind of oil you have (but not olive oil)  to cover bottom.
-  Add the chicken and brown on all sides.
-  Add the garlic, onion, grated ginger and chilli. Stir for 2 minutes till the beautiful mixture of aromas is obtained.
-  Add the tomato paste and stir till the tomato paste is well dissolved.
-  Add the curry paste and stir 1 minute.
-  Add 1 liter of chicken stock, stir, bring to a boil, simmer uncovered on very slow fire for half an hour or until chicken is cooked. Add some more stock if you see the sauce dangerously reduced.
-  At this point you add the coconut cream, stir and mix well.
-  Serve with sprinkled cilantro,  Basmati rice on the side, flat pita bread, and a Raita made with yogurt, chopped fresh mint, and diced cucumber.
Enjoy!!
Stelio