Red chicken curry
This fragrant red chicken curry uses curry leaves, pandan leaves and freshly roasted curry powder, a key flavour in Sri Lankan cuisine. We've included a recipe for homemade roasted curry powder below, but you can also use shop-bought Sri Lankan roasted curry powder. The chicken tastes best if marinated overnight, so start this recipe the day before if you have time.
This recipe is taken from HOPPERS: The Cookbook by Karan Gokani (Quadrille, £30) Photography: Ryan Wijayaratne
Karan says: 'This simple yet gorgeous curry is my go-to dish when introducing people to Sri Lankan food at the restaurant, in demos or cookery classes. It’s easy and approachable, yet tastes so different from any north Indian or southeast Asian curry that you might first associate it with when reading through the ingredients.'
'I did a video with the team over at SORTEDfood for their YouTube channel in 2021 where a group of home cooks were given all the ingredients for this curry and asked to cook it intuitively, without any instructions. I later cooked my version of the curry, demonstrating how I would adapt it. The results were starkly different in look, flavour and texture. Shooting that session really put into perspective how effective this curry was to introduce a novice to Sri Lankan food – its spices, techniques and unique flavours. If you’re new to Sri Lankan food or cooking curries generally, I would highly recommend starting with this recipe.'
'The recipe for roasted curry powder is darker than the basic unroasted curry powder and has a nuttier flavour. The addition of rice intensifies this nuttiness and helps to thicken curries and sauces as well; I used basmati in this recipe, but red rice will work too. As the ingredients are fully roasted before grinding, this curry powder doesn’t need to be fried in fat or cooked for very long when used in a dish. Consequently, it’s often added to dishes towards the end of the cooking process and simply sprinkled over and stirred through. That said, I have seen Sri Lankan friends use this to marinate meats before adding them to curries.'
'Grinding spices while they are still warm risks their oils separating and the powder turning into a paste. Moreover, it also results in the grinder overheating, which can burn the spices and damage the motor. You can tip the freshly roasted spices onto a large plate or tray as spreading them out will help cool them down quicker.'
Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
Roasted curry powder
- 25g of green cardamom seeds
- 5g of cloves
- 50g of cinnamon stick, or broken pieces
- 50g of basmati rice
- 150g of coriander seeds
- 75g of cumin seeds
- 50g of fennel seeds
- 10g of fenugreek seeds
- 15g of black peppercorns
- 25g of curry leaves, or 10g dried curry leaves
- 15g of pandan leaves, or 5g dried pandan leaves
Red chicken curry
- 1kg bone-in chicken thighs, or drumsticks, skin removed and cut into 8–10cm pieces (you can use boneless thighs if you prefer, but the curry won’t be as flavourful)
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp of ginger paste
- 2 tbsp of garlic paste
- 4 tbsp of coconut oil
- 250g of red onion, (approx. 1 large onion), sliced
- 9cm of cinnamon stick
- 5 green cardamom pods
- 4 cloves
- 2 lemongrass sticks
- 10cm of pandan leaves
- 12 curry leaves
- 1 tbsp of chilli powder
- 150g of ripe tomatoes, (approx. 1 large tomato), sliced
- 150ml of fresh chicken stock
- 250ml of coconut milk
- 2 green chillies, halved lengthways (optional)
Method
To make the roasted curry powder, first heat a heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat. Roast the cardamom, cloves and cinnamon in the dry pan, stirring frequently for 2–3 minutes until fragrant but being careful not to burn them
- 25g of green cardamom seeds
- 5g of cloves
- 50g of cinnamon stick, or broken pieces
Add the rice and continue roasting for 12–14 minutes until nutty and light brown. Roast the remaining ingredients separately for 12–14 minutes, stirring constantly, until the leaves are dry and brittle
- 50g of basmati rice
- 150g of coriander seeds
- 75g of cumin seeds
- 50g of fennel seeds
- 10g of fenugreek seeds
- 15g of black peppercorns
- 25g of curry leaves, or 10g dried curry leaves
- 15g of pandan leaves, or 5g dried pandan leaves
Leave to cool completely before grinding to a fine powder in a blender or spice grinder. Pass through a strainer and grind any remaining large pieces. Transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 1 month
Combine the chicken with ½ tsp turmeric, 2 tsp roasted curry powder, ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp each ginger and garlic paste. Mix well and leave to marinate in the
fridge for at least 1 hour, or overnight
- 1kg bone-in chicken thighs, or drumsticks, skin removed and cut into 8–10cm pieces (you can use boneless thighs if you prefer, but the curry won’t be as flavourful)
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ginger paste
- 1/2 tsp garlic paste
Heat the oil in a heavy-based pan over a medium-high heat. Add the onion along with ½ tsp salt and sauté until translucent. Add the remaining ginger and garlic paste and continue frying until the raw smell is no longer present. Stir in the cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, lemongrass, pandan leaf and curry leaves. Add the chilli powder, remaining ½ tsp turmeric and 2 tbsp roasted curry powder. Fry for a further 30 seconds
- 4 tbsp of coconut oil
- 250g of red onion, (approx. 1 large onion), sliced
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 5 1/2 tsp ginger paste
- 5 1/2 tsp garlic paste
- 9cm of cinnamon stick
- 5 green cardamom pods
- 4 cloves
- 2 lemongrass sticks
- 10cm of pandan leaves
- 12 curry leaves
- 1 tbsp of chilli powder
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
Stir in the tomato and cook over a medium heat, stirring often until it softens and turns pulpy. Add the chicken and stir well to ensure it’s coated in the spices, about 3–4 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the chicken stock, mix everything well, cover and allow to simmer for 15 minutes
- 150g of ripe tomatoes, (approx. 1 large tomato), sliced
- 150ml of fresh chicken stock
Add the coconut milk and green chillies, if using, and reduce to a simmer for another 5–7 minutes. Season with the remaining salt
- 250ml of coconut milk
- 2 green chillies, halved lengthways (optional)
- 1 tsp salt
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