The Anglo-Indian curry.
Why you should cook this
The slow cooker chicken curry that earned its place in the regular rotation. Bone-in chicken thighs, two grated onions, a tablespoon of grated ginger, six cloves of garlic, a tin of tomatoes, garam masala, cumin, coriander, turmeric, chilli powder, a stick of cinnamon, three cardamom pods, a generous slug of cream stirred in at the end. Six hours on low. Ready when you walk in the door.
The trick is blooming the spices in oil before anything else happens. Five minutes in a hot pan with the diced onion, until the kitchen smells like a Newtown curry house at 7pm on a Friday. Then everything joins the slow cooker. Bone-in thighs, never breast (breast goes to wood after six hours). Cream goes in last, in the final thirty minutes, otherwise it splits. Top with chopped fresh coriander and a fat squeeze of lime. Serve with basmati rice, a side of cucumber-and-mint raita, naan from a tandoori shop or Bourke Street Bakery’s flatbread, mango chutney from a jar.
What to drink with it
A cold lager, a gin and tonic, or our Rosemary Honey G&T. Mango chutney on the side.
Notes from the kitchen
Bone-in thighs hold up best. Boneless will cook through but break down more. Add cream at the end. Adding it at the start splits the sauce.
The recipe
Ingredients
Method
- In the slow cooker, combine chicken, onions, garlic, ginger, all spices, tomatoes and tomato paste. Stir to coat. Salt to taste.
- Cover. Cook on low 6 hours (or high 3.5 hours).
- Stir in cream and butter. Cover. Cook on low 30 more minutes.
- Taste. Adjust salt. Top with chopped coriander.
- Serve with steamed basmati rice and naan.
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Split sauce
You added cream too early. Always cream in the last 30 minutes.
Pale curry
Spices weren’t bloomed. Fry them in the pan briefly before adding to the slow cooker, just for sixty seconds in oil.
Variations worth knowing
Tikka masala
Add 2 tablespoons of tomato paste and 1 tablespoon of grated ginger. Marinate the chicken in yoghurt overnight.
Korma
Replace half the cream with coconut milk. Add 50g of ground almonds for body. Milder, sweeter.
Vindaloo
Add 4 small dried chillies, 1 tablespoon of cider vinegar, and replace the chicken with diced lamb shoulder. Hotter, sharper, takes longer.
Leftovers and make ahead
Three days fridge. Curry tastes better day two and three; the spices integrate. Freeze in single portions for instant midweek dinner.