Recipe: Lisa Fielding's Original Chicken Curry
She calls it her "out of adversity" chicken curry, because of the story connected to it.
In 1839, Edward Bulwer-Lytton wrote, “the pen is mightier than the sword” in his historical play, “Cardinal Richelieu.” Granted, he was alluding to words and especially the written word as being more effective and favorable to settling a dispute than violence. But to me and many other writers it means don’t mess with a writer because we can always get even with a good story.
Recently I had one of the worst client experiences ever! I showed up to cook for a woman and her extended family of step-children and a newish husband. I had agreed to make far more dishes than I normally do for a single seating — I was feeling magnanimous. In fairness, she may have misinterpreted my generosity of spirit for servitude because the more I gave, the more she wanted. After dinner was over and I was showered with praise by her family, and had cleaned the entire mess without help (most of my clients have staff), the ice queen dispatched me to the front door. I was exhausted and demoralized. I could go on but wait — didn’t someone also instruct us to make lemonade out of lemons?
Yes, they did. And this is it. Despite the fact that this was the extremely rare event where I wasn’t happy and nor was she (twice in ten years to be exact), I recalled that out of all the delicious food I prepared that night I was so excited about my very first original curry. It was beautiful, too: a nice rosy red with a tinge of pink from the addition of cream finishing off a tomato and chicken broth sauce. It was also laden with spices, fresh garlic, ginger, onions and jalapenos. I served it with lemon-scented jasmine rice, fresh cilantro and homemade raita. So instead of dwelling on the fact that I wish I had burned the entire dinner, I focused on the fact that I have this wonderful dish to share with my friends, family and you!
Out of Adversity Chicken Curry
Serves 6
2.5 lbs. skinless, boneless chicken breasts cut into 1-inch pieces
1 32-.oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 cup chicken broth
½ cup heavy cream (or coconut milk, which I think will be just as delicious)
3 Tbls. olive iil
One large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbls. minced ginger
1 jalapeno, deseeded and finely chopped
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbls. yellow curry powder
1 tsp. paprika
1 Tbls. cumin
1 Tbls. coriander
1 tsp. cayenne
Chopped fresh cilantro for serving.
Heat oil in a skillet deep enough to accommodate all ingredients. Add onions and sauté until translucent. Add garlic and ginger and sauté for two to three minutes over low heat. You don’t want the garlic to brown. Add the jalapeno and sauté until soft another minute or so. Now add all of the spices and cook for a minute or two to soften and reduce the graininess.
If the mixture is too dry, add a little more olive oil and toss in the chicken pieces. Turn to coat with the sautéed vegetables and spices. Cook through for four of five minutes. Add the tomatoes and chicken broth. Bring to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes until fragrant and thickened. Now add the cream. Stir and cook for another ten minutes to thicken even more. Taste and adjust spices. Add more cayenne for heat and salt for savory. This should be piquant, spicy and creamy. One thing it is not is thick and heavy like most curries with a lot of oil and too much curry flavor.
Hope you love it as much as my client’s family and I did!
