Chicken Curry

This is Chicken Curry, Filipino-style, cooked the way my mother Lulu Reyes Besa used to. This recipe consists of boneless chicken cuts, potatoes, carrots, green beans, peas, simmered in coconut milk, and stock. The stew is flavored with yellow curry powder and seasonings and cooked in moderate, slow heat till the chicken is tender and the sauce is robust, earthy-flavored and savory. Serve with accompaniments of mango chutney, pan-fried eggplants, onion rings, raisins, and chopped roasted peanuts. This is a recipe by Constante G. Quirino, reprinted from the culinary and history memoir Every Ounce of Courage by Elizabeth Ann Quirino.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Asian, Filipino

Keyword: Chicken Curry Filipino-style

Servings: people

Calories: 4kcal

Author: Elizabeth Ann Quirino

Equipment

Large saucepan - 12 to 14-inches diameter

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 whole large white or yellow onion, sliced
1 Tablespoon minced garlic, about 3 cloves
2 pounds boneless chicken thighs, about 6 to 7 pieces; slice into serving pieces, about 4-inches each
2 cans ( 13.4 ounces each) coconut milk
3/4 cup chicken broth; or water
2 Tablespoons yellow curry powder; like the Pamana Powdered Curry or any equivalent
2 large potatoes, peeled, quartered
1 whole medium-sized carrot, peeled, sliced
1 cup green beans, edges trimmed, sliced into 2-inch pieces
1 pinch salt
1 pinch ground black pepper
1/2 piece red bell pepper, seeded, sliced

Sides or Accompaniments:

steamed jasmine rice or naan
deep-fried onion rings from 1 large onion
deep-fried eggplant slices from 2 Asian eggplants
a cup of pan-fried raisins
a cup of chopped roasted peanuts
Mom's Mango Chutney, recipe in the food memoir Every Ounce of Courage

Instructions

Heat the vegetable oil in the large saucepan over medium heat.
Saute the onions and garlic until soft in 1 to 2 minutes.
Add the chicken pieces and sear for 5 minutes, till slightly browned. Turn the pieces over for even browning.
Pour the coconut milk and broth (or water).
Stir in the curry powder and blend into the liquid till there are no lumps and mixture is smooth.
If coconut milk starts to boil, lower the heat so the coconut does not curdle.
Add the potatoes, carrots, green beans and green peas. Cover and continue cooking till the chicken and vegetables are cooked and tender.
Stir every so often, so that the ingredients do not stick to the bottom of the skillet, as coconut milk tends to do so.
Cover and cook for about 35 minutes. Pierce the meat with a fork to check for tenderness and if completely cooked.
Season with salt and pepper.
Transfer the chicken curry to a serving bowl and garnish with red bell pepper slices.
Serve the curry with steamed jasmine rice or naan, and side dishes of fried onion rings, eggplant slices, raisins, peanuts, and a generous helping of mango chutney.
To store : Keep leftovers refrigerated in a covered container. It will last up to 4 to 5 days refrigerated. In the freezer, this can keep up to one month.

Cook's comments:

The yellow curry powder I used was the Pamana brand, a gift, along with a box of food mixes sent by Seafood City to me. This is not an ad. But I highly recommend the product for this recipe and other dishes that use curry powder. The flavor blends well with Filipino recipes.
For the chicken cuts, you can use other chicken cutlets, like breast, for this recipe. I used boneless thighs when I cooked this one, because it was what I had available in my freezer.

Nutrition