Genuine Imitation Chicken Curry

I cooked some really good Indian Curry a couple of years ago and promptly lost the recipe. It might be on our other notebook computer, but I was too lazy to fire it up and take a look.

Any way, it came out pretty well (the curry, not the computer) and watching Jamie Oliver, “The Naked Chef on Food Network last night brought my desire for Curry rushing back to me.

Take a gander at what Jamie did, but don’t get all impressed because I couldn’t find half of the ingredients here on our little island necessary to make his Curry. What I did do is sorta make up my own “Genuine Imitation” Curry tonight, and it came out yummy.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp extra virgin expeller pressed olive oil
½ tbsp mustard seeds
2 cloves garlic, diced
¼ cup fresh ginger, pealed and diced (ok, ok, as much fresh ginger as you want)
½ medium yellow onion, coarsely chopped
½ medium red bell pepper, julienned
½ medium yellow bell pepper, julienned

¼ tsp turmeric
1/8 tsp chili powder (optional, be very, very careful--you don’t hurt your self)
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
2 cups hot water
1 14 oz can coconut milk
½ tbsp green curry paste
1 bunch green onions (scallions for all you Yankees)
Salt to taste

2 boneless chicken breasts
2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup of rice per person

You need three pots to do this recipe--A 6 quart boiler for the curry, a 2 to 4 quart boiler (depending on the quantity) for the rice, and a large heavy skillet to stir-fry the chicken in.

Toss all three vessels on the stove and put 2 tbsp of olive oil in the skillet and the same amount in the large boiler. Turn the heat on the large boiler up to medium and leave the skillet cold for now.

While your oil is heating, dice your garlic, onion, ginger, and julienne your bell peppers.

After your oil has heated in the boiler, toss in the mustard seeds and let them toast. As they start to pop like popcorn, toss in your onion and turn down the heat slightly while stirring. Cook everything for a couple of minutes, then toss in the ginger and the garlic and keep stirring for a few minutes.

Now add your bell pepper. Keep stirring until the onions are clear.

Add your canned diced tomatoes, the coconut milk, two cups of water, and bring everything to a low simmer. Add the green curry paste and the green onions. Stir.

Cook for about ten minutes, then taste your curry and carefully add your salt.

While the curry is simmering, go slice your chicken breasts into ½ inch strips, then cut the strips in half. Place them in a bowl and squeeze the juice of ½ lemon over the pieces, then drizzle lightly with olive oil. Let the chicken stand for twenty or thirty minutes.

After the chicken has marinaded, preheat your skillet and the 2 tsp of olive oil on medium low heat, then add your chicken and stir-fry until it is lightly done (pink in the middle.)

Add the chicken pieces to the curry, stir it all up, reduce the heat to low, cover the pot with a lid, and let everything cook for another half hour or so.

Cook your rice according to the package instructions and keep covered to stay warm.

Put your bowls in the oven to warm.

Check back by and stir the curry mixture every ten minutes to ensure that it isn’t burning or sticking to the bottom of the pot.

Put the heated bowls on chargers, add some rice, spoon the curry over the top, grab a napkin, and EAT.

Enjoy Y’all

The Redneck Gourmet