Servings: persons
Indian-inspired curry with chicken, lentils, and rice
Although I am certainly not the most well-versed in Indian cuisine and this photo in no way shows my dish, I am insanely proud of this dish: Bursting with warmth, depth, and lots of good flavor.
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
