Cape Malay Chicken Curry with Sweet, Aromtic, Yellow Rice

Ingredients:

For the curry

• 30ml sunflower or rapeseed oil

• 1 large onion finely chopped

• 4 large garlic cloves finely grated

• 30g finely grated ginger (from frozen form is easiest)

• 5 cloves

• 30g turmeric

• 5g ground black pepper

• 5g dried coriander

• 5g cumin

• seeds from 8 cardamom pods lightly crushed (remove shells from pods after crushing)

• 1 cinnamon stick snapped in half

• 1 large red chilli halved, deseeded and chopped finely

• 400g can chopped tomatoes

• 2 tbsp mango chutney (Mrs Balls Chutney is my favourite, but not always available here in the UK)

• 1 chicken stock cube crumbled

• 12 bone-in chicken thighs skin removed

• 500g potato

cut into chunks

• small pack coriander

chopped

For the yellow rice

• 50g butter

• 350g basmati rice

• 50g raisins

• 5g golden caster sugar

• 5g ground turmeric

• 2.5g ground white pepper

• 1 cinnamon stick snapped in half

• 8 cardamom pods lightly crushed with shells removed.

Method

Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven on low heat. Add the onion and fry for 8 mins until softened, stirring every now and then. Stir in the garlic, ginger and cloves, and cook for 2 minutes more, stirring frequently to stop it sticking. Add all the remaining spices and the fresh chilli, stir briefly, then tip in the tomatoes with 1 can of water, plus the chutney and crumbled stock cube.

Add the chicken thighs, pushing them under the liquid leave to cook uncovered for 35 mins. Stir well, add the potatoes and cook uncovered for 20-25 mins more until they are tender. Use a fork to test the tenderness of the potatoes. Use fresh chopped coriander as dressing.

About 10 mins before you want to serve, make the rice. Put the butter, rice, raisins, sugar and spices in a large pan with 550ml water and 2.5g salt. Bring to the boil and, when the butter has melted, stir, cover and cook for 10 mins. Turn off the heat and leave undisturbed for 5 mins. Fluff up and serve with the curry.

[Homemade] Cape Malay Chicken Curry with Aromatic Sweet Yellow Rice