GINA’S MA’S CHICKEN CURRY

Remember when you used to come in from school and the gaff would be leppin with the smell of your ma’s dinner? I’ll never forget it, and on the coldest of days she used to make this masso curry. So comforting and brings back so many lovely memories. Even if she used to eat the head off me for the state of my room when I got in the door.

Serves 4

● 4 large chicken fillets

● 800ml chicken stock

● 2 tbsp medium curry powder

● 1 tbsp turmeric

● 2 tsp chilli powder

● 1 small apple, peeled, cored and chopped

● 6 cloves roasted garlic

● 100ml light cream

● ½ tsp ground ginger

● 1 tsp garlic powder

● 1 large onion, chopped

● ½ tsp Chinese five spice powder

● 1 tsp white wine vinegar

● 1 tsp sweetener

● 1 tsp cornflour (optional)

● 150g frozen petits pois

● 360g dried long-grain rice

Method

1 My mother used to always boil her chicken for the curry, so that’s the way I like to do it. Put the whole breasts in a large pot of boiling water and let them cook away for 15–20 minutes until cooked through. Remove from the water, then use a couple of forks to shred it up (my fave) or chop it into chunks.

2 Now make the sauce. Put the chicken stock in a hot wok, add in the curry powder, the turmeric (this will add a lovely yellow colour to the curry) and the chilli powder and stir until well mixed.

3 Crush the apple and garlic in a pestle and mortar, and add to the wok.

4 Bring up the heat and let it cook away for 10 minutes. At this point I stick a hand blender straight into the wok to break down and smooth the apple and garlic.

5 Add in the cream, ginger, garlic powder, chopped onion, Chinese five spice, white wine vinegar and sweetener, give it a good stir and bring to the boil for 3–4 minutes. Add in your chicken, then reduce the heat and let simmer for 10–15 minutes until the sauce thickens. If the sauce is not as thick as you would like, mix the cornflour with a few drops of water and gradually stir into the curry until it thickens. Finally stir in the petits pois and keep stirring until they are heated through.

6 Prep your rice and serve it up with the curry in warmed bowls. This is perfect for a batch cook and will freeze really well too.