Have you ever made your own spice paste for a curry? I would never have thought to do such a thing until I moved to the UK. My English family, and then my British housemates, introduced me to the amazingness you can achieve with your own home-made curry paste. For this coconut masala chicken, the spice paste has a fresh coconut base, and it is every bit as good as you are thinking it is.
I made the paste with my trusty immersion blender, which is surely the hardest (and most frequently) working tool in my kitchen after my knives. This worked out, but next time, I would use my food processor (in spite of the extra dish washing), to see if I can get a slightly smoother paste. But seriously, if you are trying this at home, it is hard to go wrong here.
Various herbs and spiced are added to chicken that has been browned and coated in chili, ginger, and garlic. Most interesting here is a wedge of tamarind pulp, carefully squished through your fingers and de-seeded. My packet of pulp, purchased at a local Indian shop, promises somewhat hilariously that it is 95% pit-free. Ha ha ha. See below for results of that, and evidence in favor of the careful squishing method.
After everything is simmered into deliciousness and your house smells like dreams coming true, add some veggies. I opted for cauliflower here.
Serve on a bed of rice, or with baked sweet potato, as seen here. I am currently doing the Whole 30, so I can’t eat rice, but the sweet potato soaked up and added to the gravy and was a very nice complement to the curry. I’m making curry paste again soon, for sure. One of my Jamie Oliver cookbooks has a whole section on them, and I’ve been eyeing it for years. So: curry pastes! Here I come.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 lbs chicken thighs
- ½ teaspoon red chili flakes
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
- thumb of ginger, chopped fine
- 1 cup of grated fresh coconut (or dried & rehydrated, apparently, but I haven't tried it)
- 1 cup of chopped cilantro leaves and stems
- a small handful of mint leaves
- 1 teaspoon each of chili powder, turmeric, coriander, and sea salt
- ½ teaspoon cardamom
- 1 cup of hot water
- 1 tablespoon of tamarind pulp (or lemon or lime juice)
- ½ of a medium cauliflower, chopped into florets
- Heat the oil to medium high in a large pot. Add the chili, ginger, and garlic, and stir. Add the chicken, coat it in the spiced oil, and brown.
- Make the curry paste. Add the grated coconut, cilantro, and mint to a measuring jug or small bowl. Blend until everything is combined and finely chopped.
- Add the paste, the chili powder, turmeric, coriander, cardamom, salt, tamarind, and water to the pot. Stir to combine, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the cauliflower, stir, cover, and simmer for another 10 minutes.