I borrowed the Vij’s cookbook from my friend last week and when I saw this recipe it caught my attention instantly. Vij’s is one of Vancouver’s best restaurants, they serve intensely rich and imaginative Indian Fusion. I used the curry almost exactly as it was – except for two changes, I used more yogurt and I omitted the asafoetida required since I couldn’t find any without going on a bit of a trek. Serve with this cucumber raita and rice or naan.
Another reason I was excited to see this recipe was because I thought it would be a perfect entry into Weekend Herb Blogging. This week’s event is being hosted by Sue from Coffee & Cornbread. Does Sue have the nicest looking kitchen or what? Seriously I am jealous of that and of the fact that she used to run a B&B, although I am sure it is much less romantic that it actually sounds…
As to the herb I am using – I am actually using two as per the title but the bulk is in cilantro, I actually had enough mint still alive in my window box to avoid buying mint which is always a bit of a victory. But back to Cilantro, coriander itself is key in Indian cuisine as it is a part of garam masala in the form of the seeds. We all know how important garam masala is, and how every family’s recipe can be different. According to wikipedia coriander seeds are also frequently roasted and eaten as a snack in India. Mental note to attempt to do that later.
(serves 6-8)
2 cups cilantro, chopped
½ cup mint, chopped
2 jalapenos, finely chopped
1.5 cups red onion, chopped
1 tablespoon ginger, chopped
1 cup water
½ cup canola oil
1.5 tablespoons cumin seeds
1 tablespoon coriander seed
3 tablespoons garlic , crushed
1 tablespoon salt
2 cup plain yoghourt, stirred, or 3/4C whole buttermilk
3 lbs chicken thighs, bone in
3 cups basmati rice, cooked
Cilantro-Mint Chutney
Mix cilantro leaves and stems, mint leaves, jalapenos, and ginger in a food processor. Add 1C water and puree until smooth. Set aside.
Curry
1. Heat oil in a heavy shallow pot on med heat for 1 min. Add cumin and coriander seeds and allow them to sizzle for about 30 seconds.
2. Add garlic and saute for about 3 minutes or until golden brown, Stir in salt.
3. Turn off the heat and after 2-3 minutes stir in 1C yogourt. Add chicken thighs and stir well. Turn the heat to medium and cover and cook for about 25 minutes, stirring regularly. (If you have the time, let it cook a little longer, then the chicken should just fall off the bone.) Remove curry from the heat and cool for about 20 minutes.
4. Transfer chicken to a mixing bowl. Wearing latex gloves peel chicken meat off the bones. The size of the chicken pieces doesn’t matter but do not shred them. Discard bones and stir chicken back into curry.
5. Stir in mint-cilantro chutney and the other cup of yogourt, About 15 mins before serving bring curry to a boil on medium heat. Turn down the heat to a summer cook, uncovered for about 10 minutes or until chicken is ell mixed.
6. Serve over rice.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
it looks wonderful!
What a great combination of herbs and spices. Can’t wait to try it.
Hello, nice blog. I just read your recipe and visited your blog for the first time today. I just posted an entry on my blog about chicken curry with a yogurt sauce. Come by and check it out if you can and let me know what you think.
http://cookingquest.wordpress.com
Thanks,
Joe