Karen Martini’s coconut chicken curry with mint chutney

Name: Karen Martini’s coconut chicken curry with mint chutney
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Asian
Ingredients: 1.6kg chicken cut into 10 pieces (each breast cut into three pieces and each leg cut into two); extra virgin olive oil or grapeseed oil; 1 brown onion, finely diced; 2 slices of galangal; 1 stem of lemongrass, bruised with the back of a knife; 6 curry leaves; 1 cinnamon stick; 500ml coconut milk; 300ml coconut cream; 1 lime; 11⁄2 tbsp nigella seeds

Karen Martini

March 24, 2023

Serve this creamy, coconutty chicken curry with mint chutney, rice and roti.William Meppem

Time:1-2 hoursServes:4

This is a rich, silky and fragrant chicken curry that surrenders well to the bright, full-flavoured and zesty chutney. It can be served with jasmine or basmati rice, but roti is a nice addition – as are some crunchy, caramelised fried onions.

Ingredients

1.6kg chicken cut into 10 pieces (each breast cut into three pieces and each leg cut into two)
extra virgin olive oil or grapeseed oil
1 brown onion, finely diced
2 slices of galangal
1 stem of lemongrass, bruised with the back of a knife
6 curry leaves
1 cinnamon stick
500ml coconut milk
300ml coconut cream
1 lime
11⁄2 tbsp nigella seeds

For the marinade

3 garlic cloves, finely grated
2 tbsp freshly grated ginger
2 tbsp crushed macadamia nuts or pecans
1 tbsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground fennel
2 tsp salt flakes
11⁄2 tsp ground white pepper

For the fresh mint chutney

1 cup firmly packed mint leaves
6 spring onions, the white and most of the green, sliced
2 long green chillies, roughly sliced
1 garlic clove
11⁄2 tsp salt flakes
2 tsp caster sugar
1 tsp garam marsala
70ml lime juice

Method

Step 1
Combine the marinade ingredients in a large bowl, then add the chicken and massage to coat well. Set aside at room temperature for 1 hour.
Step 2
For the chutney, put all the ingredients into a blender or food processor with 50ml of water and blitz until smooth.
Step 3
In a wide saucepan, brown the chicken pieces in a couple of tablespoons of oil over a medium heat. Cook until lightly coloured all over. Add the onion and fry for 2 minutes to soften, then add the galangal, lemongrass, curry leaves, cinnamon stick, coconut milk and 200ml of water. Simmer gently for 35 minutes, uncovered.
Step 4
Add the coconut cream and simmer, uncovered, for a further 15 minutes.
Step 5
Season with more salt if needed, then squeeze in the juice of the lime and stir. Sprinkle with the nigella seeds to finish and serve with the mint chutney, rice and roti.