Cape Malay Chicken Curry

Last year I dedicated an entire month to Classic South African dishes, it was so much fun and such a treat to share with my family I honestly didn’t realise how many dishes originated in South Africa. What I love about South African food is that its simple yet so delicious and comforting. I’ve learnt so much about our heritage through food and I’ve also added my own twist to classic dishes.

One of my favourite dishes is this Cape Malay Chicken Curry, I don’t know why I didn’t try making this dish earlier, the geelrys compliments this dish perfectly.

Cape Malay Chicken Curry recipe

Ingredients

For the curry

2 tablespoons sunflower

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 tablespoon ginger and garlic paste

5 cloves

2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon ground white pepper

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Seeds from 8 cardamom pods, crushed

1 cinnamon stick

1 large red chilli, halved, and sliced

400g can chopped tomatoes

2 tablespoon mango chutney

1 chicken stock cube

12 bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed

500g potato, cut into chunks

Handful of coriander, chopped

For the yellow rice

50g butter

350g long grain rice

50g raisins

1 tsp golden caster sugar

1 tsp ground turmeric

¼ tsp ground white pepper

1 cinnamon stick, snapped in half

8 cardamom pods, lightly crushed

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the onion and fry for 5 mins until softened, stirring every now and then. Stir in the garlic, ginger and cloves, and cook for 5 mins more, stirring to stop it sticking. Add all the remaining spices and the fresh chilli, stir, then tip in the tomatoes with 2 cans of water, plus the chutney and crumbled stock cube.

2. Add the chicken thighs, make sure they’re covered with the liquid , then cover the pan and leave to cook for 35 mins. Stir well, add the potatoes and cook uncovered for 15-20 mins more until they are tender.

Geelrys

Put the butter, rice, raisins, sugar and spices in a large pan with 550ml water and 0.5 tsp salt. Bring to the boil and, when the butter has melted, stir, cover and cook for 10 mins. Turn off the heat and leave undisturbed for 5 mins. Fluff up and serve with the curry.