African Chicken Curry In Rich Palm Oil
This dish is something i created inspired by my finding virgin red palm oil in a local gourmet store. It's a pretty basic curry but what makes it special is the richness of the palm oil. Make sure to get the unhydrogenated virgin palm oil. It looks creamy at room temperature - almost solid, and it is a deep red color. Don't try to cut the fat down by using less oil or skinned chicken as you will not get to appreciate the dish for it's incredible richness. If you do want to cut any fat out you can use a lighter yoghurt (ie 2%). Use whole spices and grind them - this makes a massive difference. You might want to have the windows open and the fan running during the cooking process.
Steps
Cut the potatoes into large bite size pieces and boil them in water for 7 minutes.
Discard the water and set potatoes aside.
Finely dice all the onions.
Peel and mince garlic cloves.
Mince or grind ginger.
Cut the green peppers into large bite size pieces.
Set aside 1 tsp of cumin seed for later.
Grind the whole spice mix minus the 1 tsp cumin seed and combine with the ground turmeric.
Do not use pre ground spices.
Heat the palm oil on high in a wide , deep nonstick pan.
It should quickly begin to sizzle and smoke.
Add the 1 tsp of whole cumin seed you set aside.
Add the saffron.
After a half minute or so add the diced onions.
Stir around giving the onions a chance to brown.
While you are doing this add the ginger , garlic and then the spice mixture.
Once the onions are browned add the tomato , lemon juice and the coconut milk.
Stir it up and then slowly mix in the yoghurt.
You should have a nice looking sauce by now.
Taste for salt and if not enough then add more .
Ingredients
chicken thighs, potatoes, yellow onions, green peppers, coconut milk, greek yogurt, tomatoes, garlic cloves, fresh cilantro, ginger, palm oil, saffron, lemon, coriander seed, cumin seeds, fennel seed, fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds, clove, whole nutmeg, allspice, green cardamom pods, black peppercorns, kosher salt, ground turmeric, bell peppers, bay leaves, dried curry leaves