Gurkha Chicken Curry with Homemade Spicy Marinade

Gurkha Chicken Curry

With Homemade Spicy Marinade  

As I've mentioned before, my parents have unashamedly been having the same curry pretty much every Saturday
evening for the last nineteen years (which is also the entirety of my older sister's life). It's a chicken curry based on one of Madhur Jaffrey's recipes, called 'red pepper curry' in our house (given the 6 red peppers that make up most of the sauce). 

Now, I'm all for traditions, and know that my mum particularly loves red pepper curry (especially as she dreads fish Friday, despite being pleasantly surprised every time)... but  there comes a point when you can have too much of a good thing. Or perhaps just one too many red pepper curries. 

...I like mixing things up just that but more, and so having taken on the role of family menu organiser, and now head chef too, I've tried to sneak in a few different recipes in place of the revered Saturday night red pepper curry. Luckily, they've all also been curries so far (check out the easiest red pepper curry recipe, or my all time favourite Thai green curry), and Gurkha Chicken Curry was one I'd been hoping to try for a while. 

It's spiced, but not overly hot, if you know what I mean- deliciously aromatic but not burn-your-mouth spicy, and deeply flavoured. - And of course, it's a Jamie Oliver recipe and he's not once let us down in the many years we've trusted him, and the countless recipes of his that we've made. 

How could I resist? You won't be able to, either; it's relatively quick as the marinade does the work overnight, really packing in a huge amount of flavour (as yes, chicken can sometimes be bland), and then it bubbles away happily in the oven while you relax and get on with other things. 

Here's the recipe: 

Gurkha Chicken Curry

With Homemade Spicy Marinade  

Serves 4-6 

• 1 hour- plus overnight marinating 
• 10 mins prep; 10 mins cooking; 40 mins in the oven

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breasts, (in medium-sized cubes)
• 1 large onion
• 2-3 large ripe tomatoes
• 1 stick of cinnamon
• 2 cloves 
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1-2 fresh bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1 fresh red chilli , optional
• 1 red pepper, 1 yellow pepper (in chunks) 

MARINADE:

• 5cm piece of ginger
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 4 cardamom pods
• 1 teaspoon hot chilli powder
• 250 ml fat-free natural yoghurt, plus extra to serve
• 1 lemon

Method: 

1. To make the marinade, peel and roughly slice the ginger, break up and peel the garlic clove, then add to a dry frying pan over a medium heat, along with the fennel seeds and whole cardamom pods. 
2. Heat for 1 minute to toast the spices and bring out the oils in them, then transfer to a pestle and mortar. Add the chilli powder to the pestle and mortar, with 1 pinch of sea salt (to act as an abrasive to help break everything down) and then pound into a rough paste. 
3. Tip the paste into a large bowl with the yoghurt, lemon zest and juice, and the chicken. Stir to coat evenly, then cover and place in the fridge to marinate for at least 1 hour, but preferably overnight. 
4. Peel and finely dice the onions. Chop the tomatoes into rough chunks. Heat 1-2 tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat, then add the cinnamon, cloves, cumin seeds and bay. 
5. Add the chicken in a single layer and cook for 5 minutes on one side, or until a lovely, golden crust develops. 
6. Turn the chicken over and cook for a further 5, or until browned all over. Remove the chicken from the pan. 
7. Add any leftover marinade and then stir in the ground spices, then add the onion and tomatoes. Pour over 350ml of cold water, then bring to the boil.
8. Place in the hot oven for about 20 minutes, uncovered, so that the sauce thickens. (A few minutes before adding the chicken, I put 300g of basmati and wild rice in a pan of boiling water to cook for about 12 mins). 
9. After 20 mins or so, add the chicken in a layer on top and cook for 7-8 minutes more, or until the chicken is cooked through. 
10. Finely slice and sprinkle over the chilli (if using), and serve with the rice, or naan breads and a fresh green salad, if you like. 

Recipe adapted from Jamie Oliver's Gurkha Chicken Curry with homemade marinade