What's for Dinner?

Lemony Chicken Curry with Coriander

Easy Indian Dish

-Julie Ryan Evans

This recipe comes from my friend Betsy. During a recent girls' weekend we were discussing that nagging question of what we all fix for dinner each night. She suggested this easy Indian dish that sounded fabulous. After trying it, I can say it is! And it's not as intimidating as those in my many Indian cookbooks that I have seldom attempted.

Ingredients:

5-6 Tablespoons vegetable oil
Approx 2 ½ pounds chicken thighs and/or legs, skinned and seasoned with salt and pepper
2-inch hunk of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
½ habanero chile, seeded and diced
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
½ teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
2 bunches of cilantro, cleaned, stemmed and finely chopped
2/3 cup of water
Juice of ½ lemon

Directions:

Place ginger in bowl of a food processor and blend with ¼ cup of water until pureed.

In a heavy-bottomed pot, heat oil. When hot, but not smoking, add chicken and brown on both sides for at least 10 minutes. Remove from pot and set aside.

Add ginger puree to the pot used to cook the chicken and stir with a wooden spoon, scraping bits from the bottom of the pan. Add garlic, spices and salt. The mixture will become pasty, which is a good thing. Add cilantro and stir. Add water, lemon juice and return the chicken to the pot.

Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer until meat is tender and starting to fall off the bone. This should take about 45 minutes.

While the curry cooks, prepare some rice to serve with the curry. Serves four as a meal.

Note: the curry is quite tasty without the habanero chile. Use the chile only if you like it hot.