Cooking for one – Chicken curry in a hurry

Ah… Chicken curry

The humble chicken curry. Chicken curry Hyderabadi style. Chicken curry Bohri style. Chicken curry Mangalorean style. Chicken curry Konkani style. Chicken curry Goan style (Chicken Xacuti?). Chicken curry Punjabi style (Butter chickennnn!!). Chicken curry Kashmiri style (3 types). (Let’s go international now…) Chicken curry American style. Chicken curry Canadian style. Chicken curry Czech Republic style. Chicken curry à la France. The varieties are endless! And I’ve had them all… and more. Forgetting one though…  Chicken curry… SABERA style ;D

There are many recipes I have created in my little apartment kitchen over the years, that have the unmistakable SABERA stamp on it. The unmistakable Sabera stamp means it is a recipe that is simple, yet layered with many interesting, opposing, yet complimentary flavors. Easy to make, yet conveniently also easy to adapt to my changing moods, preferences, and um… grocery availability in the fridge, or lack thereof. Also, QUICK. This last piece is very important.

I’ll tell you why. Cooking for one (myself) is a true art form. I’m being sarcastic. But truly, for me it’s something I’ve taught myself over the years. My schedule, like so many of us, is very hectic and investing too much time in the kitchen to cook a meal is a luxury I no longer have. More importantly, one must also keep some time aside to do the dishes ( 😦 ), which is why total time invested in the kitchen must be planned to be at a minimum. Hence, the need for a quick recipe, that also doesn’t fail to tingle not just the tastebuds, but also the home-longingness senses.

SO! Today I’m going to share my super duper easy peasy chicken-curry-in-a-hurry recipe. And when I say hurry, I MEAN it. This recipe takes under 30 mins! Yes! No gimmicks!

Many recipes online offer simple chicken curry recipes, but mine uses fresher spices, simpler ingredients, and packs a punch of flavor without the excessive salt, cream or fat that common recipes online have. The result is a creamy, tangy, spicy and aromatic curry that you can lap up with rice or with Roti! So, here goes! This recipe makes enough for 1 person, for 2 meals (or 1 meal, 2 persons? You pick!)

You will need:

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 1 tbsp cooking olive oil
• 1/4 large onion, thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 cup plain yogurt – if using greek yogurt, use 1/2 cup and dilute with 1/2 cup water. It helps to use slightly sour yogurt.
• 1/2 tsp grated ginger
• 1/2 tsp salt or to taste
• 1 tbsp coriander seed powder
• 1/2 tbsp chili powder, or to taste
• 1 tsp whole cumin seeds, lightly toasted, and pounded in a mortar and pestle (this brings out the flavor of the cumin seeds!)
• a handful of chopped fresh cilantro

Toasted cumin seeds sent from India with love 😀

Method:

• In a bowl, mix the cubed chicken, yogurt, grated ginger, and garam masala
• In a medium sized cooking pan, heat 1 tbsp of cooking olive oil
• Chop the onion and garlic in the mean time
• When the oil is heated, add the onion and garlic, and sautée on medium heat until softened and lightly caramelized
• Add the yogurt and chicken mixture in the pan and mix well

• Once mixed well, add all the other spices – chili powder, coriander powder, cumin seeds and salt. Mix well again, cover the lid on the pan and cook for 15 minutes on medium heat
• Check to see if the chicken is cooked. Turn off heat, add the chopped cilantro, mix well and let the curry sit in the pan with the lid on for about 5 more minutes.

• Serve fresh with hot Rotis, or rice!