ASTONISHINGLY EASY NORTH INDIAN CURRY
Chicken Karahi is one of our absolute favorite North Indian curries. It also happens to be a fabulous quickcooking option for busy weeknights — and a warm, wonderful weekend meal when your family has spent the day outdoors on the hiking trails or ski slopes.
While many Indian curries require lengthy onion-caramelization, long simmering times and an extensive pantry, this one achieves a flavor packed, lusciously creamy result in just 30 to 45 minutes from start to finish — with basic, readily available ingredients. Astonishing, no?
We’ve substituted canned, crushed tomatoes for the more traditional diced fresh tomatoes, which saves prep time and shortens the simmering time. Crushed tomatoes achieve a sauce consistency more quickly than diced. The spiciness level of the dish depends on the heat of your chile powder. Stirring in yogurt at the end of the cooking time adds a wonderful richness and tempers the heat of the chile powder, but if spiciness is a concern, just reduce the amount of chile powder and omit the green chile garnish.
Serve this classic curry with rice or roti (psst, wholewheat tortillas work too), raita or plain yogurt, and the vegetable of your choice to round out the meal.
Chicken Karahi
1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 2-inch cubes
2 cloves garlic, finely minced 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 tablespoon chili powder (use less for a milder curry) 1 tablespoon garam masala 1 tablespoon whole cumin seeds
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
5 green cardamom pods, crushed, optional
5 whole cloves, optional 14.5 ounce can crushed tomatoes
¾ cup full-fat plain yogurt (add up to ¼ cup more for a creamier curry) Squeeze of fresh lemon Garnishes: Sliced green chiles, chopped fresh cilantro, lemon wedges
DIRECTIONS
Season chicken with salt. Add minced garlic and ginger and toss to coat.
Heat oil in a large, heavybottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, garlic and ginger and saute for 5 to 7 minutes, until the chicken is seared and golden on all sides. (If the garlic or ginger start to color too quickly, add a splash of water to the pan to prevent burning.)
Add the spices — chili powder, garam masala, cumin, black pepper, cardamom, cloves and a pinch of salt
— to the skillet, stirring to coat the chicken well. Saute chicken and spices for 1 to 2 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, stirring to combine. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer over medium-low heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until the tomatoes break down to a sauce consistency. Turn the heat to very low and while stirring, add ¾ cup yogurt and continue stirring for 1 to 2 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding salt, additional yogurt or a squeeze of lemon juice as desired. Garnish with chiles, cilantro and lemon wedges and serve.
San Francisco food writers Stacie Dong and Simran Singh’s blog, A Little Yumminess (www. alittleyum.com), focuses on family food adventures and recipes with a global twist.