Another of those dishes of the Indian Diaspora that I know more for how it manifested on the southern tip of Africa rather than how it might or might not have tasted in southern India. Frankly, a personal favourite.
Despite the lengthy instructions, this isn't a fussy, complicated dish. It's unique combination of supreme creaminess (from the coconut) and kick (from the green chillies), while still what I would call "medium-mild" in character, is a pretty effective all-round crowd-pleaser.
The portions in this recipe are for two to three adults. Yet once more: "Scale them up or down as needed." It's also a dish that freezes well once cooked.
Shopping list
for the Keralan curry
Chicken breast, diced, approx. 420 to 450g
1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced into irregular cubes
okra, 450 to 500g, topped, but not tailed
1 small red chilli, finely sliced
1 large or two medium onions, cubed
1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced; vertically
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped (not crushed)
a little peanut oil (or ghee if you prefer)
1 400ml tin of coconut milk (you'll use between half and two thirds of it)
the zest of ½ a fresh lime
for the Keralan-style spice paste
You have two options: you can make your own as I usually do, detailed below, or you can buy a good readymade paste such as Cooks' Ingredients Keralan Curry Paste from Waitrose. I'd love to boast that making it yourself produces better results, but I'm just not that good at lying. On the other hand, do be sceptical of other UK supermarkets and TV chefs pushing their "Keralan inspired" schtick. I'm sure they're tasty enough, but one of the defining aspects of this dish that brings the Indian Ocean to life is not merely coconut, but the rather unusual combination of curry leaves, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves. mustard seeds and green chillies. If they're not in there, you're making something else.
75g of shredded fresh coconut (or 4 heaped tsp of desiccated coconut; 2 tbspns of creamed coconut otherwise)
1 tbsp toasted coriander seeds
6 green hot chillies, very finely chopped
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp fennel seeds
5cm toasted cinnamon stick
1 tspn demerara sugar
12 cloves
8 cardamom pods
freshly ground black pepper to taste (or 1 tabspn)
1tsp ground turmeric
1tsp paprika
50g chopped fresh ginger
6 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 tspns brown mustard seeds
2 tspns coriander seeds
1 tspn chilli powder
for the rice
Approx. 300g basmati rice
1 vegetable stock cube
2 tspns turmeric
2 bay leaves
for the "sambals"
½ an onion, finely cubed
1 small tomato, finely cubed
a little vinegar
½ a fresh mango, cubed
a generous clutch or coriander or flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
the juice of ½ a lime
Cooking Method
start with the Keralan curry paste
If yours aren't already toasted, place the cinnamon, brown mustard seeds, coriander seeds, cumin seeds and cloves on a piece of unoiled tin foil in the oven and toast on a medium-to-high heat until suitably toasted but not burned
Once cooled add these and all your other dry ingredients to your mortar and grind with a pestle (or better still, do it in a spice grinder; best value-for-function in my opinion is this baby from Kuhn Rikon)
Remove the ground dry spices and mix in the "moist" e.g. the chopped ginger, coconut, garlic and green chillies in a small bowl. Add a little lime juice and/or peanut oil to keep it moist as you mix it in
Store this smooth paste in a sealed dish in the fridge. What you don't use for this curry, you can store safely for a couple of weeks in a sealed container in the fridge
the curry
Heat a generous dash of peanut oil or ghee in a large pot with a lid. Once it's hot but not smoking, add the garlic and onions and stir constantly so that neither catches
Once sweated, add the sliced green pepper and red chilli, stirring almost constantly
As soon as the green pepper begins to soften, add a little more peanut oil/ghee, throw in the diced chicken and, even before it begins to sear, throw in at least three tbsns of the Keralan curry paste, stirring with a wooden spatula to ensure it coats all the chicken and the veggies in the pot.
Once this cooks up a lovely aroma and the chicken is sealed on all sides, add about ¼ of the can of coconut milk, a couple of tspns more of the Keralan curry paste, gently stirring it all in with a spatula or wooden spoon. Turn up to a high heat, cover and bring to the boil. Boil for no more than 5 to 7 mins
Add the cubed sweet potato and about ½ of the okra and another approx. ¼ of the can of coconut milk. Stir gently as it comes back to the boil, then cover and reduce the heat, allowing it to simmer for a further 10 to 15 mins
About 10 mins before serving, add an additional tspn of the curry paste, stirring in thoroughly. Then add the remaining okra to the top of the curry and grate the lime zest over the top of the curry. Recover and allow to cook on a low heat until the okra is cooked but not disintegrating
Ideally, time it so that, while you are still cooking the other components of the meal, the dish is allowed to rest, covered, for about 5 min with the heat turned off
When ready, plate or decant into a serving tureen for people to help themselves
the rice
There is no reason you can't make a pilau rice if you wish. But I always make this dish with a typical "Durban" rice associated with the Indian Diasporan cooking of South Africa.
Heat a small amount of peanut oil in a pot with a lid. When its hot, throw in your approx. 300g of basmati rice, stirring with a wooden spoon or spatula
When the rice is sealed, throw in enough boiling water to cover it and bring to the boil, stirring to prevent sticking
Simultaneously, dissolve a vegetable stock cube in as small amount of boiling water in a cup e.g. no more than ¼ of a cup
As the rice comes to the boil, pour in the diluted vegetable stock, add the tspn of turmeric and bay leaves. Bring to the boil and allow to boil vigorously, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking
Cover, reduce the heat and allow to simmer until the rice is cooked and fluffy, stirring occasionally. Add a little more water if needed throughout the cooking process to ensure the simmering rice is properly cooked but not water-laden
When ready, plate of transfer to a serving dish for people to help themselves at table
the sambals
Cube the fresh mango and add the finely chopped coriander (or flat leaf parsley). Dress with the squeezed juice of ½ a lime; sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper Place in a condiment bowl so people can help themselves at the table
Combine ½ a finely cubed onion with the cubed fresh, ripe tomato in a condiment dish. Dress with a little vinegar. Place on the table for people to partake in situ
Variations
Veggie - They way I usually make this dish as veggie is simply by swapping out the relevant quantity of chicken for increased sweet potato and okra. I once replaced the chicken with aubergine, but was smart enough to know that it needed to come in at the later stage of the sweet potato in order to not become "slimy". I'm sure it would be fine to use veggie protein alternatives such as Quorn or tofu, but I can't say I have ever used them.
Vegan - apart from the chicken (or the ghee if you take that option), there's nothing in this recipe that isn't plant-based. So just follow that line of thinking.
Pairings
I'm sure there are some great wine pairings to be had with this one given it's complex flavours (yes, poor Karel's challenges are mounting up), but I find it works really well with beer. One that I'm loving it with recently is NORTH X BUNDOBUST : SALTED LIME SOUR. They are totally not lying in calling it sour. Entirely capable of getting rid of stones in anyone's saliva ducts, this delectably tart beer arrives on the palate more like a bitter lemonade or limoncello without its sugary weight. It's the perfect counterbalance to this supremely smooth, almost velvety curry.
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