Recipe
You'll love this Southern Indian chicken curry recipe
Ready to fill your kitchen with flavour-packed aromas? Every bite of this mouthwatering dish is irresistibly good.
By Olivia Andrews
This mild coconut-based curry would also work well with skinless chicken thighs or even duck legs or breasts.
SERVES: 4
Ingredients to make Southern Indian chicken curry recipe
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 6¼ hours (slow cooker)
1 hour (stovetop)
2 tablespoons Madras curry powder
4 chicken legs
3 tablespoons coconut oil or rice bran oil
1 teaspoon ground fennel
1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
4 tablespoons fresh or dried curry leaves
2 small onions, halved, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon finely grated ginger
90 g (3¼ oz/1 cup) desiccated coconut
2 tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 x 270 ml (9½ fl oz) tin coconut milk
Crispy fried shallots, coconut cream and basmati rice, to serve
How to make Southern Indian chicken curry recipe
IN THE SLOW COOKER
Rub the curry powder and salt over the chicken to coat. Set aside until needed. Heat half of the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat.
Cook the fennel, mustard seeds, curry leaves, onions, garlic, ginger and coconut for 6 to 8 minutes until the onions are soft, stirring regularly to avoid burning the coconut.
Stir in the tomatoes and coconut milk, then transfer to the slow cooker. Heat the remaining oil in the frying pan. Add the chicken and cook for 3 minutes each side or until lightly golden. Transfer to the slow cooker, skin-side up, and mix well.
Cook on low for 6 hours or until tender. Serve the curry with crispy fried shallots, coconut cream and basmati rice.
ON THE STOVETOP
Rub the curry powder and salt over the chicken to coat. Set aside until needed. Heat half of the oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan pan over medium heat.
Cook the chicken legs for 3 minutes each side until lightly golden. Remove and set aside. Add the remaining oil to the pan.
Cook the fennel, mustard seeds, curry leaves, onions, garlic, ginger and coconut for 6–8 minutes until the onions are soft, stirring regularly to avoid burning the coconut.
Add the tomatoes, coconut milk and 250 ml (9 fl oz/1 cup) of water and stir well, then return the chicken to the pan, skin-side up.
Bring to a simmer, then cover with a lid and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 45 minutes until the chicken is tender. Serve the curry with crispy fried shallots, coconut cream and basmati rice.
This is an edited extract from Slow Cooking by Olivia Andrews, photography by Steve Brown. Murdoch Books RRP $29.99.
You might also like: