Chicken Coconut Curry

I love Indian food! My first Indian cookbook, now held together by tape, more tape and string, contains a lovely chicken coconut curry dish that includes almost every spice you can think of. It's the most complex masala in the book. I have made this recipe many times as well as numerous variations on the theme. Usually, I would cut the amount of chicken down to half and add two large cubed potatoes, but this time I had only one single chicken breast to work with. That's 1/2 of 1/2. I added three large carrots to make up the volume and the result was really delicious served over steamed basmati rice. Here's my modified recipe.


Ingredients:

1 single chicken breast
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1/4 tsp salt

1 medium onion
1/2 in. piece of ginger
5 cloves of garlic
2 tbsps vegetable oil

1/4 tsp black peppercorns
1/2 tsp aniseeds (or fennel seeds)
1 stick cinnamon
5 cloves
2 1/2 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (or more to taste)

1 cup coconut milk
1 med. tomato, diced or 2 tbsp tomato paste
1 potato, cut into a fine dice
3 carrots cut into a fine dice
up to 3 cups water

salt to taste


Initial preparations: First, cube the chicken and mix it in a small bowl with the yogurt, turmeric and salt. While that is marinating in the fridge, chop the onion, ginger and garlic in a food processor*. Set aside. In a small frying pan roast the spices until they become fragrant and turn ever so minimally darker. I use a cast iron blini pan which looks like the teeniest, tiniest prying pan ever, and it's perfect for roasting spices. Take off heat, pour into a spice grinder and grind to a powder. Music to grind your masala by: A little Bollywood bump and grind.
*If you're interested in the rich flavor of caramelized onions, you should thinly slice the onion and sautee it until it's light brown before adding the ginger and garlic.

Cooking: In a medium pan over moderate heat, pour in the oil. Add the onion, ginger and garlic and sautee until it becomes blonde. Add the spices and mix for a minute. Add in the marinated chicken (without washing off the yogurt mixture)and mix into the pot. Now add the coconut milk, raise heat and bring to a boil. Add the tomatoes, potato and carrots. Finally add enough water to create the consistency you want. This curry can have the creamy texture of thick coconut milk or of a soup, you decide. Simmer for 20 minutes to let the flavors blend and the vegetables soften. Correct for salt and serve over fresh basmati rice.