Exotic. Tasty. Spicy. Curry.

Curries, of any kind, are appetising.

A good curry needs:
Oil - you do need some of this
Spices - the fresher, the better.
Chilli of some kind
Something salty i.e., salt (!)
Thickening agent i.e. milk, coconut milk, yoghurt
and of course, meat, potatoes etc.


I will introduce to you today a new and special exotic curry recipe.

I did not know what the end was like. But I knew the components that will make a good curry. I put these together:

Spices: turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, fennel powder: roughly 1 tsp of each. Where possible use seeds. Like coffee beans, they keep fresher. Just toast it a bit at the bottom of a heated pan or pot and then blend. Of course if your ground spice is fresh, use them. If you stay in the West, spices stay fresher longer in cold weather. Just buy them from the stores.

I had some leftover cashew nuts. Nuts are always good for curries. Adds some 'nutty' taste, what else. So into the blender it went. 

Add some oil to the heated pan. I used some leftover ghee. Stir in the spices, chilli paste and cashew nut paste. Add some sliced onions. After about 5 minutes, add the chicken pieces. I used boneless as I had plenty in the freezer. Stir. Add a glass of water. After 15 minutes, add the cut potatoes and quartered tomatoes. Simmer for another 10 minutes. Taste. Add salt and sugar. Add the coconut milk. Simmer for another 5 minutes.

Done.  

Pair it with some perfectly cooked basmati rice. Stick to the 1:1.25 rice:water ratio. If you are washing your rice, remember that .25 water is there already.

A perfect plate of basmati rice to go with the curry: separated and firm

The basmati rice, with it's thin long grains picked up the curry sauce very well.

Curries are what you make it to be. Just create new ones according to what you have in your kitchen. Taste and taste along the way to get it right. Balance with salt and sugar.

If it did not turn out right, it is certainly not the end. There will be many more meals to make it right.

Drop the recipe book once a while. Understand the fundamentals of a dish. Use some imagination, use what you have and go for it.

Now what shall I call this curry? I had no idea. What strangely came to mind is the great movie hit, The New Exotic Marigold Hotel.

Everything will be alright in the end. If it is not alright, it is not the end. 

There you go, my New Exotic Marigold Curry Chicken. 



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