If your spirits need of a lift, make some curry. Just the aroma of it cooking will heighten your senses and start things moving in the right direction, and that will continue when you serve it and enjoy it.
I know because that’s what happened when I prepared today’s chicken curry casserole, which in my house would have scored a 10 on the wonderful aroma meter if there were such a thing.
I used juicy, bone-in, chicken thighs to make it and started the process by seasoning them, browning them in a skillet, and setting them in a casserole. Diced onion was then cooked in the skillet until softened, and then ingredients that would start to fill my house with that wonderful aroma were added.
They included minced fresh garlic, grated fresh ginger and hot curry powder. Hot curry powder has a more intense flavour then mild or medium curry powder. It’s sold at most supermarkets and I used one tablespoon of it. Doing that gave the curry a palate-pleasing level of spiciness, not a spicy-hot one, but if that’s what you prefer, simply add a teaspoon or more hot curry powder.
Coconut milk, diced tomatoes, lime zest and juice, and brown sugar were then added to the onion mixture, brought to a simmer and this curry sauce was poured over the chicken. The chicken was then cooked in the oven until very tender and incredibly flavourful.
The chicken curry was quite saucy, the perfect thing to serve with rice. I did that and kicked things up a notch by making jasmine rice pilaf. Jasmine rice gets it name because of its jasmine-flower-like scent. When cooked, it’s a little stickier than other types of rice, making it a good candidate for pilaf.
Unlike plain rice steamed in water, pilaf is a technique where rice is sautéed awhile in fat, such as oil, often with other ingredients. I used diced onion and grated carrot. The oil thinly coats each grain of rice, and when cooked in stock or broth, those grains are more defined because they won’t stick together. I also added raisins and sliced almonds to the pilaf, creating a splendid side dish to serve with the chicken curry.
You can serve the chicken and rice with a steamed or simply seasoned stir-fried green vegetable, such as broccoli or green beans, and store-bought items, such as mango chutney, lime pickle, thick yogurt and naan bread or pappadums.
The chicken curry and rice recipes serve four. If that’s too many for you, once cooled to room temperature, both could be separately frozen, to thaw, reheat and enjoy at another time.
Chicken Curry Casserole with Lime, Coconut and Ginger
Chicken thighs are browned, set in a casserole, topped with flavourful coconut curry sauce and baked until sumptuously tender.
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: About 80 minutes
Servings: four servings
8 large chicken thighs (about 1300 grams), trimmed of excess fat (see Eric options)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 tsp smoked paprika
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium white or yellow onion, finely diced
1 Tbsp hot curry powder, or to taste
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
1 (400 mL) can coconut milk
1 (14 oz./398 mL) can diced tomatoes
1 tsp finely grated lime zest
2 Tbsp lime juice mixed with 2 tsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp brown sugar
• fresh mint or cilantro sprigs, for garnish (optional)
Set out a 13- x 9-inch casserole. Sprinkle and rub chicken with salt, pepper and paprika. Pour oil into a large skillet set over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add the chicken, into two batches, brown it about two minutes per side, and then set in the casserole.
Preheat oven to 350 F. Drain all but about 2 Tbsp oil/fat from the skillet. Set back over the heat. Add the onion and cook and stir until softened, about three minutes. Mix in the curry powder, garlic and ginger and cook and stir one minute more.
Add the coconut milk, tomatoes, lime zest, lime juice/cornstarch mixture and brown sugar to skillet, bring to a simmer and mix well to combine. Taste this sauce, and season with salt, as needed. Pour the sauce over the chicken. Cover chicken with foil and cook in the oven 40 minutes. Uncover chicken and bake 20 minutes more, or until the chicken is very tender. Serve the chicken right from the casserole, or set on a serving platter, garnished with mint (or cilantro) sprigs, if using.
Eric’s options: If desired, you could remove the skin on the chicken before cooking it.
Jasmine Rice Pilaf with Almonds and Raisins
Aromatic jasmine rice, cooked in stock until tender, with bits of onion, carrot, almonds and raisins. Serve it with the chicken curry casserole.
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Makes: four generous servings
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 medium onion, finely diced
1/2 cup grated carrot
1 1/3 cups white jasmine rice
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1/3 cup sliced, skin-on, almonds
1/3 to 1/2 cup raisins
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 Tbsp chopped fresh mint, cilantro or parsley
Place the oil in a medium pot (mine was eight-inches wide) set over medium, medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add the onion and carrot and cook until softened, about three minutes. Mix in the rice and cook and stir two minutes. Add the stock, almonds, raisins, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Cover the rice, turn the heat to its lowest setting, and cook 15 minutes, or until tender. Fluff the rice with a fork, mix in the mint (or cilantro or parsley), and its ready to serve.
Eric Akis is the author of eight cookbooks. His columns appear in the Life section Wednesday and Sunday.
