Ceylon Chicken Curry
Curry leaves are an essential ingredient in many Sri Lankan dishes. Fresh are best but if you don’t have an Asian shop close by, use frozen or dried. In both Sri Lanka and India, sauce is referred to as gravy.
SERVES
8
PEOPLE
PREP TIME
15
MINUTES
COOKING TIME
45
MINUTES
Ingredients
900g whole chicken, cut into small portions
2-3 tbsp coconut oil or vegetable oil
½ onion, diced or sliced
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2.5cm piece of ginger, finely chopped
2 ½ tbsp roasted Sri Lankan curry powder (available in Asian shops)
1 tsp chili powder
1 cinnamon stick (preferably Ceylon cinnamon)
6-7 fresh curry leaves
2 serrano green chili
½ tsp salt plus more to taste
2 medium-sized tomatoes
110ml full-fat coconut milk
110ml water
Method
Prepare the bone-in chicken by cutting it into smaller pieces. Each piece should be fairly small but not bite-sized.
The larger the chicken piece, the longer it will take to cook through, so it’s important to keep the pieces fairly similar in size.
Add the coconut oil into a large saucepan and heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until they start to soften. Add the garlic and ginger to the softened onions, and saute until the garlic starts to soften. Make sure it doesn’t burn.
Add the curry powder, chili powder, cinnamon, curry leaves, and mix to combine. Cook for a few minutes until you start to smell the spices.
Add the chicken, green chili, salt, tomatoes, and mix to coat.
Cook for 10 minutes with the lid off, on medium high heat. Frequently stir to make sure the chicken or the spices don’t burn.
Add coconut milk, water, and bring the curry to a boil. If you want less gravy, add less liquid.
Lower the heat and let it simmer with the lid on for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Leave the lid off if you want to reduce the liquid content in the curry.
The chicken should be completely cooked by this point. This will depend on the size of the chicken pieces and the stove you use.
Taste the curry and season with more salt to taste if needed.
If the chicken curry gravy is too thin, or there’s too much of it, uncover and simmer the curry for a further 10 minutes or longer.
This step is optional, but it allows the water to evaporate and for the gravy to thicken. If you want more gravy, you can add more water or coconut milk, but you will need to adjust the flavour accordingly. Turn off the heat and let the chicken cool down slightly. Serve with rice or roti.
