The Royal Chef At Home: Easy Seasonal Entertaining

KASHMIRI CHICKEN CURRY

INDIAN FOOD IS MY FAVORITE CUISINE TO BOTH EAT AND COOK. People say it’s spicy, but it’s not. Rather it is a palette of ingredients joined together to create an amazing dish and, like an orchestra, each ingredient has its part to play. These days the British passion for “a good curry” has never been stronger and there are occasional government warnings of a growing shortage of Indian chefs to cook all those lovely dishes. No worry for the home cooks though, we can easily make our own! I use chicken thighs for this recipe but you can use chicken breast. Just cut it into cubes. The spices are fairly specific so you can either buy them online or jot over to your nearest Indian grocer and stock up. The Kashmiri chili powder is quite hot, so make adjustments as you see fit. I like to make this dish over two days and eat it over a week. The spices absorb into the meat overnight and it tastes better the next day… and the next. MAKES 4 PORTIONS

FOR THE MARINADE AND SAUCE 6 cardamoms, brown or black, seeds only 2 cloves 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 large onion, diced 2 tomatoes, diced 2 tablespoons fresh chopped ginger

FOR THE CURRY 12 chicken thighs (boneless, skinless) ¼ cup vegetable oil or Ghee 2 cinnamon sticks ½ cup water ¼ cup cashews, ground ½ cup plain yogurt ¼ cup chopped cilantro Salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon Kashmiri chili powder (or to taste) 2 teaspoons Garam Masala ½ teaspoon turmeric powder 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon salt

1 Place all the marinade ingredients together and mix. Place them in a large ziplock bag and add the chicken thighs. Refrigerate overnight.

2 Heat the oil or ghee in a large sauté pan over high heat and add the chicken, marinade, water and cinnamon sticks. Simmer gently until the chicken is tender, about 20 minutes. Adjust the seasoning with salt. Stir in the ground cashews and yogurt and simmer. At this point, do not let the stew boil. You just want to warm the yogurt. Garnish with the cilantro and serve over hot rice.

FALL · A FAVORITE FAMILY CURRY

151