Inspired by the Duke and Duchess’s recent trip to India, we made a chicken dish with traditional spices, such as curry, for this month’s Cooking with Catherine.
When asked about how the royal pair felt about the food they would eat during the trip, William said,”[Kate] told me she loves Indian food and I said she would be fine.” The Duke also mentioned he “struggles with the spices.”
Perhaps Kate prepped him for the trip by making this recipe from her sister Pippa’s book,”Celebrate.”
Spicy Red Chicken Curry
Serves 8
For the marinade
8 tablespoons coconut cream
5 to 6 tablespoons ready-made curry paste, medium or hot
5cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
20 boneless skinless chicken thighs, chopped into large chunks
For the curry
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 to 3 large onions, peeled and sliced
One 14-ounce can chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon superfine sugar
One 14-ounce can coconut milk
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the rice
2 1/2 half cups of basmati rice
6 cups of vegetable stock
2 teaspoons of turmeric
3 garlic cloves
4 cardamom pods
2 cinnamon sticks
For the garnish
1 lime
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
To make the marinade, mix together the coconut cream, curry paste, garlic and ginger in a bowl. Add the chicken, mix well to combine, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes, or overnight if possible.
To make the sauce, heat the vegetable oil in a pan and fry the sliced onions for five minutes until lightly browned. Add the marinated chicken and continue to cook for another 4 minutes until aromatic. Sprinkle in some water if the paste begins to stick.
Add the tomatoes, stock in sugar and cook, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Cover with the lid and continue to cook for 10 minutes. Stir in the coconut milk and warm through, and then check the seasoning and adjust if necessary. (At this stage, the curry can be frozen for up to 1 month.) Squeeze the juice of 1 lime over and garnish with fresh cilantro, serve with basmati rice.
To make the aromatic basmati can rice, place 2 1/2 cups of basmati rice in a sieve and rinse with cold water until the water runs clear. In a large pot bring 6 cups of vegetable stock to a boil with 2 teaspoons of turmeric.
Add the rice and stir once. Add 3 whole garlic cloves, 4 cardamom pods and 2 cinnamon sticks and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes. Taste the rice to test if it’s done, then drain and fluff up with a fork. Remove the cloves, cardamom pods and cinnamon sticks before serving.
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