Basic Butter Chicken
If you are going to make a homemade curry, this is a great place to start! I prefer the veggies grated over diced…and the kids do too. Its also great in the slow cooker so can be prepped well ahead of time.
Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients:
Brown rice (approx. 1 cup dry rice will feed 4 people)
500g chicken breast or thighs, sliced
2 heaped tsp garam masala
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp curry powder
2 tsp fresh grated ginger (see tip)
2 cloves garlic, crushed (or 1 tsp crushed garlic)
1 onion, finely diced
1/2 long red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped (or 1 tsp chilli flakes – I like mine quite spicy)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium sized kumara, cut into small 1cm cubes or grated
2 carrots, diced or grated
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 can coconut cream or coconut milk
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 can of chickpeas, drained (optional) – this makes it go further so you can feed more mouths or save some for lunch the next day
1 head of broccoli, cut into florets or frozen beans
Natural yoghurt to serve
Method:
Step 1
Boil the jug and cook the rice following instructions on the pack. Combine the chicken, spices, garlic, ginger and chilli in a bowl. Heat oil in a large frying pan on a medium/high heat. Add onion and chicken. Cook for about 8-10 minutes until the chicken is starting to brown (it doesn’t have to be cooked right through yet). Add a dash of water if it starts to stick to the pan.
Step 2
Add the kumara, carrot, tomato paste, tomatoes, chickpeas (optional), coconut cream, water and brown sugar. Stir and simmer for 10-12 minutes until the sauce is reduced and chicken is cooked through. Season with salt and pepper. Add more water if the sauce gets too thick. Meanwhile, heat a dash of olive oil in a medium-sized pan and fry the broccoli for 4-5 minutes with some salt and pepper.
Step 3
Serve chicken on top of the brown rice with plenty of broccoli and a good dollop of yoghurt.
Tips:
I keep a big piece of fresh ginger in the freezer and just grate it from frozen (skin and all) when I need fresh ginger.
Grating the kumara and carrots is my preference over the chunks but both work well.
Grated pumpkin also works well.
Make this vegetarian by subbing the chicken with 2 x cans chickpeas, lentils or beans (drained)
