CHICKEN & CHICKPEA CURRY

You may be as surprised as I was the other day to learn that most Indian dishes are gluten, dairy and preservative free. I certainly had no idea until my boss told me last week. I was ecstatic! After a tough week last week with adapting to my new allergies, I will admit that I had difficulty cooking dinner every night and may have even resorted to takeaway often…(which I rarely do!). My spirits were low until I was given this amazing news and decided to have fun experimenting with Indian dishes! First on the list, a chicken and chickpea curry with homemade curry paste. Don’t stress if you don’t have all the spices I have listed, these have come from an almost obsessive addiction. If you can purchase or have accumulated a few, you can work with those. Stay tuned for a Lentil & Potato Curry coming soon!

INGREDIENTS


Homemade curry paste 

• 2 tablespoons ground coriander
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground fennel
• 1 teaspoon ground garala masala
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• a pinch of sea salt & pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon all spice
• 1 brown onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste 
• 1 teaspoon peanut oil 

Chicken curry 

• 250g chicken breast, chopped into even cubes
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 1 x 400g tin of chickpeas, rinsed & drained
• 1 x 400ml light coconut milk
• 2 1/2 generous tablespoons of homemade curry paste
• 1 teaspoon peanut oil 

COOKING 

1. Place all the curry paste ingredients in a blender or food processor and mix well to combine. (Store in a container in the fridge until ready to use). 

2. Heat the teaspoon of peanut oil in a large frying pan under medium heat. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until the onion has softened slightly. Add the chicken pieces and cook, stirring constantly, until chicken is browned. Add the curry paste and mix well for 2 minutes, making sure all the chicken and onion is coated with the paste. 

3. Add the coconut milk to the pan and simmer for 25 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced considerably. Add the chickpeas to the pan and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

4. Serve with brown or white rice, if desired.

NB:  

• If you prefer your curry spicy, triple the chilli powder quantity and make some raita to go alongside the curry. 
• If you do not have all the spices listed to make the homemade curry paste, mix a few together and see how it tastes! Or you can buy a pre made curry sauce/paste, but they will often contain gluten and/or msg and lactose. 

Serves / 4 

Total Preparation time / 5 minutes, 10 if you make the homemade curry paste 

Total Cooking time / 40 minutes 

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