Chicken Cooked in Coconut Milk and Flavoured with Curry Leaves

Chicken Keema in Coconut Milk

I’m trying to encourage my curry leaf tree to grow, so I was determined this week to use a couple of stems. Ground chicken was on the menu and it occurred to me that it would taste sensational cooked in coconut milk with a generous helping of curry leaves. I added the curry leaves in 3 stages – first of all, while tempering the mustard seeds, then while frying the onions, garlic and ginger and finally at the end as a garnish. And I followed my friend’s advice to shred the curry leaves added while cooking to extract as much flavour from them as possible. It’s amazing how good the combination of coconut milk and curry leaves tastes! This chicken curry is cooked until dry but still moist, which makes it perfect to eat with chapatis or tortillas, but also tastes good with rice.

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground chicken or pieces

¼ tsp. turmeric powder

1 russet potato, peeled & diced

4 + 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

¼ tsp. black mustard seeds

2 large onions, peeled & diced

1 Tbsp. ginger paste

1 Tbsp. garlic paste

1 tsp. Kashmiri mirch, paprika or chili powder

2 jalapeno peppers, diced

15-20 curry leaves (2 stems), divided

1 (8 oz.) cup coconut milk

Salt to taste

Directions:

1.   Marinate chicken in turmeric & salt for 20 minutes.

2.   Heat 2 Tbsp. oil over medium-high heat, brown chicken and set aside.

3.   Heat remaining oil, sputter mustard seeds, 5-6 curry shredded curry leaves and peppers.

4.   Add onions and stir-fry until translucent.

5.   Add ginger & garlic pastes, chilli powder and cook until oil resurfaces.

6.   Add potatoes and 4-5 shredded curry leaves, stir well and simmer until potatoes are half-cooked.

7.   Return chicken to pan along with coconut milk and stir.

8.   Adjust salt to taste, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

9.   Transfer to serving dish and garnish with curry leaves.