Recipe for indian-inspired curry with chicken, lentils, and rice
Although I’m certainly not the most well-versed in Indian cuisine and this photo doesn’t represent my dish in any way, I’m insanely proud of this dish: Bursting with warmth, depth, and lots of good flavor.
A day at home with a sick one-year-old meant I hadn’t thought about our dinner. But around noon, I remembered and took 3 whole chicken legs (with both thighs & drumsticks) out of the freezer.
At four o’clock, when I started the dish, I wasn’t quite sure (as is often the case :-)) what the final result would be. Along the way, I had added too much liquid, so I decided to add rice to the stew to absorb some of the moisture. The result was super good, and it’s definitely not the last time I’ll cook this way.
The dish can certainly be made in much less time if you use garam masala instead of making it from scratch. Additionally, you can cut the chicken legs into two parts, allowing them to cook much faster.
Indian-inspired curry with chicken, lentils, and rice
Equipment
- Frying Pan
- Mortar
- Sauté Pan
- Cutting Board
- Chef'S Knife
Ingredients
"Garam masala"
- 0.5 pcs. Cinnamon Stick
- 5 gram Mustard Seeds
- 3 pcs. Whole cloves
- 5 gram Coriander Seeds
- 7 gram Peppercorns
- 1.1 gram Cumin
- 3 pcs. chicken thigh both with top and bottom.
- 14 gram Ghee can be replaced by oil
- 15 gram Tomato Puree
- 6 gram Curry
- 3 pcs. Carrots
- 0.5 pcs. Chili red and fresh
- 3 pcs. Celery Stalks
- 2 pcs. Onion mine were very large
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 400 gram Broth I used beef stock - other stocks can definitely be used
- 1.2 gram Smoked paprika
- 1.8 gram Ground ginger
- 1 gram Cayenne Pepper
- 1 can Coconut Milk
- 1 can Lentils red - dried
- 120 gram Rice I used basmati
- Salt
Sides
- 30 gram Almonds
Instructions
"Garam masala"
- I will hasten to say that this was certainly not a real garam masala, but just some of the spices I think go well together.
- Start by heating a pan over medium heat and add the spices (except the turmeric) to the pan so they get lightly toasted - this helps to round out the flavors.
- Take them off the heat and add the turmeric. Put them in a mortar (or as I have: an electric coffee grinder/blender that I only use for spices) and blend everything well together. It has a fantastic aroma.
Curry
- Heat a large sauté pan and add ghee (or oil or oil/butter).
- Add curry, tomato paste, and chicken thighs so everything gets browned.
- Cut all the vegetables into small cubes and add them to the pan.
- Turn down the heat when everything has gotten a bit of warmth and color.
- Add the stock and stir well so it gets distributed.
- Let it simmer for 5-10 minutes.
- Add your garam masala (about 1-1.5 tbsp), desiccated coconut, cayenne pepper, ginger, and smoked paprika.
- Let it simmer for 5-10 minutes.
- Add lentils and let it simmer further with the lid on for about 10 minutes.
- Add rice and let it simmer for another 15-20 minutes.
- Season with salt - it requires a bit more than you think to bring out the flavors.
Side dishes
- I served the dish with roasted almonds, fresh coriander on top, and bread.
- If I had had a bit more time, I would definitely have gotten my wife to make her naan bread and served it with mango chutney (which I didn’t have in the cupboard).
- Additionally, I would have removed the skin from the chicken and prepared it as crispy chicken skin in the oven.
Notes
