Homemade chicken curry with coconut milk and basmati rice

Chicken curry is made on Mondays. Curry has become a meal of the work week, the first day, for some time. Come back after work and don’t have to think about what’s for dinner. I make curry sauce from scratch, it tastes much better homemade. When it’s not the first time, I don’t have to think about what to cut. So, I’m sharing our curry. We like it that way. Maybe you will like it too.

Curry the basis of the sauce is onions, so be prepared to chop a few (of course, you can also use a food processor). Then vegetables – peppers, tomatoes, other seasonal vegetables are suitable. If you don’t have fresh tomatoes, feel free to substitute canned tomatoes.

We love curry with chicken. I prefer to use thigh meat because it’s fattier and juicier, but breast meat works best too. And if you want a vegetarian option, choose pieces of soy cheese (tofu), breadcrumbs or even our Lithuanian sweet milk cheese.

How to plan work so that everything is done on time and without stress?

To avoid chaos in the kitchen, I recommend following this sequence:

1. Preparation and cutting of vegetables: Cut the vegetables and meat first – this way you don’t have to rush the cooking. You can cut vegetables much faster with a food processor!
2. Sealing/cooking the rice: Wash the Basmati rice and set it to boil (it will boil for about 15 minutes and rest for another 10 minutes, so it will be ready right next to the hot curry).
3. Frying spices and onions: Heat the spices, fry the onions and mash the sauce base.
4. Cooking sauce and meat: Cook the puree of the sauce, add the meat, pour coconut milk.

Ingredients (in order of use):

For frying spices:

• Cardamom: several pods
• Coriander seeds: 1st century sh.
• Cumin (cumin): 1st century sh.
• Fennel seeds: 0.5 tsp
• Black pepper (peas): a little to taste

For the sauce:

• Oil: a pinch for baking
• Onions: 3 pcs. (finely chopped)
• Hot pepper: 1 pc.
• Fresh Ginger: a small piece (tip: it’s easiest to peel with a simple spoon!)
• Paprika: 1 large
• Tomatoes: 2-3 pcs. medium size (can be replaced with canned tomatoes)

Bottom line:

• Chicken: about 500-600 g thigh meat (or breast / dip / sweet milk cheese)
• Spices for meat: a little salt, black pepper and your favorite curry spices (eg Indian bait)
• Coconut milk: 1 can (400 ml)

For serving:

• Basmati Rice: 1 glass
• Fresh Coriander: for decoration and freshness

Step-by-step cooking process:

1. Frying spices: Add cardamom, coriander seeds, cumin, fennel and black pepper to a dry pan. Heat a little over medium heat – the spices should start to bubble, but not burn under any circumstances. Add them directly to a blender or food processor (blender).
2. Frying onions: Add a splash of oil to the same pan and add the chopped onions. Fry until lightly caramelized and golden.
3. Final preparations: While the onions are cooking, season the sliced ​​chicken with salt, pepper and bait spices. Also cut the pepper, hot pepper, tomatoes and peeled ginger with a spoon.
4. Rubbing the sauce puree: Add fried onions, chopped ginger, peppers and tomatoes to the food processor. Blend everything until smooth.
5. Cooking the sauce: Pour the resulting puree of vegetables and spices back into the pan and cook. How do you know the sauce is cooked? The vegetable liquid must evaporate, the oil starts to separate and shine on top, and if you run a spatula across the bottom of the pan, the sauce does not immediately thicken.
6. Composition of meat: Add the prepared chicken to the cooked sauce and fry until the meat is cooked. Take out one piece, cut it in half – if the inside is completely white, the chicken is cooked.
7. End: Pour in the coconut milk, mix everything and heat until it boils. Remove from heat.

How to cook Basmati rice perfectly?

I cook Basmati rice in a rice cooker, but it also works best in a regular pot:

• Washing: Be sure to rinse the rice in cold water 3-4 times until the water is almost clear. This removes excess starch and the rice will not stick together.
• Proportion in the pot: Use the ratio 1 part rice and 1.5 parts water (for example, 1 glass of rice and 1.5 glasses of water) and add a pinch of salt.
• Cooking: Boil water with rice uncovered. When it boils, reduce the heat to low, cover with a tight lid and cook exactly 10-12 minutes (do not remove the lid!). Remove from the heat and leave the pot covered to stand for a while 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving!

A few more delicious options:

• Along with the chicken (or other proteins), add coarsely chopped peppers, zucchini or other available vegetables to the sauce.
• Add a handful of toasted cashews before serving for a wonderful crunch!

Serve hot curry with loose rice and a generous sprinkling of fresh coriander.

Delicious! 😋