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I love curries. Pretty much any kind of curries. There are lots of varieties out there around the world. The kind of curry I grew up eating usually rich in taste, red in color, fragrant thanks to the all the different spices and often made with coconut milk. I love coconut milk. To me, it makes your dish creamy and rich. Not so friendly on your waist line and health though unfortunately. So, lots of time, I substituted half of the coconut milk with low fat milk if I’m cooking for my family for our own consumption. For the past 5 to 6 years maybe, I’ve grown to really enjoy curries from countries like India, Nepal, and Tibet. They influence each other when it comes to cuisine. Chicken tarkari to me is Nepalese chicken curry. Unlike Indonesian curry, which sometimes may requires elaborate lists of exotic spices, this chicken tarkari is very simple to make and it looks great (and also much much healthier). You will have no problem finding the ingredients for sure :)It is a favorite in our house too (If I don’t put the dried chilies, the kids can eat them). Give it a try and who knows you’ll enjoy chicken tarkari too 😉
CHICKEN TARKARI
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into bite-size pieces
- 2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp of salt
- 1 tsp of freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tsp mustard seeds
- 2 Tbsp of cooking oil
- 3 cloves garlic peeled and finely minced
- 1- inch of fresh ginger peeled and finely chopped
- 1 large onion peeled and chopped
- 5 dried red chilies seeded and chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 large tomatoes diced
- 2 cups of low sodium chicken broth
- Small bunch of fresh cilantro leaves for garnish
Instructions
- Marinade the chicken pieces with turmeric powder, cumin powder, salt and black pepper for at least one hour in the refrigerator
- Preheat a large skillet over medium heat and add in the mustard seeds and roast it until fragrant , take care not to burn the seeds. Remove from the skillet and crush them into coarse powder. In the same pan, add in cooking oil and heat it up a bit and then add in the onion and saute until soft and translucent, then add in the garlic,ginger, bay leaves, chiles and continue to saute for another minute. Add in the marinated chicken pieces and stir fry until they turn into opaque color. Add in tomatoes and chicken broth. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to let it simmer until the chicken is fully cooked through. Have a taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed
- Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve with rice or flat breads if you prefer
