Sri Lanka Chicken Curry Recipes

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large saucepan and gently fry the curry leaves until they start to slightly brown add the onions, garlic and ginger and cook until soft, stirring.
• Add the Chilli, tumeric, corriander, paprika, cummin vinegar and the salt. stir well.
• Add the chicken and stir until coated with the spice mixture. Add the tomatoes, whole spices and lemon rind.
• Simmer gently over low heat for about 45 to 60 minutes (according to the size of the chicken peices). do not be tempted to add any water, as it will form its own juices. stir ocassionally.
• Add the Coconut milk at the end of the cooking stir in well, and thicken if necessary with some cornflour mixed in a small amount of water.
• Serve with rice, and Naan bread.
• NB - like most recipes, this is easier to make if all the ingredients have been prepared.
• Great to freeze.

Steps:

• Heat oil in large saucepan and fry curry leaves until they start to turn colour.
• Add onions, ginger and garlic, cook on medium heat until soft. Add all the spices, salt and vinegar and stir well.
• Add the chicken and stir to coat meat. Add whole spices and the tomatoes, stir and cover.
• Simmer, stirring occasionally (don't be tempted to add any water - as the juices will make enough) for 40 minutes.
• Add the coconut milk or even a small amount of cream if coconut milk is not available.
• Stir through and thicken if necessary.
• Serve with rice. the curry can always be made hotter by serving Sambal olek (crushed chilli) for those who like their curry hotter.
• This dish freezes well.

Steps:

• Fry the chicken just until the outside is golden. Then remove.
• Fry onion, garlic and giner until softened. Then add curry powder (add chilli powder/cayenne pepper if want spicier curry), paprika, paprika, bay leaves. Mix and cook for a few min until fragrant. Add tomatoes and 1 tsp sugar. Mix to coat. NB you could also add other vegetables here e.g carrot, pepper e.t.c.
• Add coconut milk, equal amount of water and vinegar. Bring to a boil and put in to a slow cooker on high for 3 hours.
• If you don't have a slow cooker follow the same steps but add the chicken (potentially cut up in to smaller pieces) with the onions, garlic e.t.c. chicken. Cook for 10 min before adding the coconut milk and then cook for 20 min with the lid on.

Steps:

• In a small skillet, combine the coriander, cumin, fennel, cardamom, peppercorns and 15 curry leaves. Heat the spice mixture over medium heat, stirring often, until the spices are toasted and fragrant, 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a spice grinder and grind into powder. (You should have about 3 1/2 tablespoons.) Set aside the toasted curry powder.
• In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, heat the coconut oil over medium-high. Add the onion, garlic and ginger, and cook, stirring often, until the onion has softened, about 8 minutes. Add the toasted curry powder, paprika, turmeric and salt, and cook, stirring, another 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, chiles and remaining 5 curry leaves.
• Add the chicken and toss to cover it in the onion mixture. Add the pandan, cinnamon and lemongrass, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook, for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add the coconut milk and simmer, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened slightly, about 20 minutes more. (The light meat will be cooked before the dark meat; you can simply remove it when it's done and add it back in when the dark meat is cooked.)
• Add the vinegar and season to taste with salt.