CHICKEN & PISTACHIO CURRY by Maria Kuehn
My brother-in-law's mum is Anglo-Indian and I've been privileged to watched her cook for the past 30 years. Great as centrepiece of a banquet.
SERVES 4
chicken thighs 8 (halal), skinned, boned and cut into small chunks
pistachios 50g, shelled
bird's eye chillies 2 or 3
Spanish onion 1 large, finely chopped
vegetable oil 2 tbsp
garlic 4 cloves, crushed
ginger ½ finger lengths, crushed
turmeric ½ flat tsp
fennel seeds 1 flat tsp
tomatoes 4, skinned, deseeded and finely chopped
chicken stock 275ml
double cream 3tbsp
cardamom pods 2
lemon juice of ½
coriander ½ bunch, finely chopped
garam masala ½ tsp
Pour 275ml water into a pan. Add nuts, boil for 6 minutes. Drain. Rub nuts to remove skin. Place chillies and nuts in mortar, grind to a paste. Fry onion in oil, add garlic, ginger, turmeric and fennel seeds for 3 minutes on medium heat. Add pistachio mixture, fry for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, stock, cream, cardamom and chicken, braise for 16-18 minutes. Taste, add salt, lemon, garam masala and coriander. Serve with basmati rice and saag aloo.
