Sri Lankan Chicken & Aubergine Curry
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp coriander seeds
- 1 tbsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp whole cloves
- 1 tbsp whole green cardamom
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 whole star anise
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp nigella seeds
- 1 tsp cayenne/chilli powderj
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 2 red chillies deseeded & chopped
- 80g fresh coconut chopped
- 1 tbsp chopped garlic
- 1 tbsp chopped ginger root
- 100ml coconut milk
- 1 heaped tbsp coconut oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 600g chicken thigh fillets cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 medium aubergine cut into bite size pieces
- 5 medium sized, ripe vine tomatoes
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 300ml coconut milk
- 300ml chicken stock
- 2 fresh bay leaves
- 1 tbsp tamarind paste or lime juice
- knob of butter
- salt to taste
Preparation
Put the dry spices, the first ten ingredients for the curry paste into a small dry pan on a medium low heat for 5 mins to toast, giving it a shake every minute or so. Remove from heat
Put the remaining paste ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth
Now your spice mix is cool, use a spice/coffee grinder and grind until you have a fine powder. Add this to the fresh curry paste ingredients and combine to complete the paste
Heat the coconut oil in a large heavy bottomed pan to a medium high heat. Add the onion and sauté until turning golden brown. Add the curry paste and stir fry this for 10-12 mins to ensure it’s cooked
Add the chicken and seal on all sides in the paste. Then add the aubergines, tomatoes, stock, coconut milk and bay leaves. Stir well and bring up to a strong simmer before turning the heat down to a light simmer to cook down for about 45 mins
Finish with the tamarind paste/lime juice, a knob of butter and season to taste