Chicken curry

Ingredients (serves 4):
1 chicken, cut into pieces
2 potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 large onion
4 cloves garlic
1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, skinned
1 stick cinnamon
1 cardamom pod
5 star anise
6 to 8 curry leaves
3 tbsp curry powder
1/2 cup plain yoghurt
2 tomatoes, quartered
3 green chillies, each snapped into two pieces
1 tsp salt
A dash of white pepper
4 tbsp vegetable oil

Method:
1. Rub the salt and pepper into the chicken pieces and set aside.
2. Pound the onion, garlic and ginger to a paste.
3. Heat two tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan or a wok and fry the paste with the cinnamon, cardamom pod, star anise and curry leaves until fragrant.
4. Mix the curry powder with three tablespoons of water to form a paste.
5. Add the curry paste to the pan and cook, stirring constantly, for about 5 to 7 minutes.
6. Remove the curry mixture from the pan and set aside.
7. In the same pan, heat another two tablespoons of oil and fry the chicken pieces and potatoes until they are halfcooked. This should take about 8 minutes.
8. Stir in the curry mixture and toss so that the chicken pieces and potatoes are coated evenly.
9. Add in the yoghurt and half a cup of water, and stir.
10. Cook for about 30 minutes, or until the chicken is tender.
11. Add the tomatoes and green chillies, season to taste, and serve.

Tips:
Serve with FairPrice frozen roti prata (plain: $1.83; spring onion: $2.15) available at all FairPrice supermarkets.

This chicken curry recipe is typical of that found in Eurasian or Peranakan kitchens. It has a sourish edge to it thanks to the use of yoghurt, but if you prefer, you can substitute the yoghurt for coconut milk.

Recipe source: Today newspaper (8 May 2008)