Chicken Curry

This recipe is far removed from the exotic fare of Eastern realms where a curry is a masterful blending of spices defined by country, region, household, and other ingredients at hand. However, there are other cultural events at play and one of the results of the British colonization of India is premixed curry powder. This method of cooking with it is straight out of the British cooking tradition: a basic white sauce flavored with commercially prepared curry powder that is used to bind together leftovers from yesterday’s roast. That being said, this is an easy exercise in whipping up something fun to cook and eat when everything else at hand seems too dull.

 

This also works well with lamb or shrimp. The lamb should be pre-cooked, but you can add either pre-cooked or cleaned and peeled raw shrimp to the sauce and it will cook quickly. Serve with white rice and Major Grey’s chutney, another souvenir of the British experience in India.

 

Something to keep in mind: with age spices lose their potency and that will happen to curry powder, but at the same time it won’t lose its heat. If yours has been sitting around for a long time, test it before you use it so you don’t end up with a meal that is all fire and little flavor.

 

SERVES 4 TO 6

 

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons butter

⅔ cup onion, chopped

⅔ cup celery, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

 

4 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons curry powder

 

2 cups chicken bouillon, warmed

 

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 teaspoons sugar

⅛ teaspoon paprika

 

3 apples, cored and chopped

½ cup raisins

 

3 cups cooked chicken, cut into chunks

 

. . . . . . . .

 

Instructions:

▪ Melt butter in a large frying pan over low heat and cook the onion, celery and garlic for around 5 minutes until it is softened.

 

▪ Stir in the flour and curry powder and cook for 3 minutes. Remove from heat.

 

▪ Stir in the bouillon and return the sauce to medium heat, allowing it to come to a simmer and thicken.

 

▪ Return the heat to low and add the salt, pepper, sugar and paprika. Taste and adjust the seasonings, including adding more curry powder if you like. Cover and cook on low heat for 15 minutes.

 

▪ Stir in the apples, raisins, and chicken. Cover and continue to cook on low heat around 20 minutes. Stir occasionally to make sure it is not burning.