Sri Lankan spicy chicken curry| black chicken curry
Authentic Sri Lankan spicy chicken curry, also known as black chicken curry, is spicy with deep curry flavours.
- Prep time
- 15 min
- Cook time
- 1 hr
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 700g to 1 kg of chicken parts(for best results use a mix of chicken parts)
- 1/2 a teaspoon of turmeric powder
- 1 tablespoon of black pepper powder
- The dry roasted curry powder
- 1 teaspoon of tamarind paste or 2 tablespoons of tamarind pulp with seeds to be soaked in 1/4 cup water.
- Salt to season
- 3 tablespoons of oil
- 2-inch piece of pandan leaf(optional)
- A sprig of curry leaves(substitute with 2 bay leaves)
- 1-inch piece of Cinnamon
- 3 cardamoms slightly bruised
- 3 cloves
- 1 tablespoon of minced garlic(3 cloves)
- 1 tablespoon of minced ginger(1"to 2" piece minced)
- 2 green chillies split in the middle(optional)
- 1 large onion sliced fine
- 2 teaspoon of fenugreek seeds
- 1 and 1/2 cup water or water until the chicken parts are covered
- 2 teaspoons of coriander powder
- 2 tablespoons of red chilli powder
- 4 tablespoons of curry powder(unroasted curry powder)
Instructions
- 1
Clean, cut, remove excess fat and wash the chicken parts thoroughly and drain any excess water. Place them in a large bowl.
- 2
Place the tamarind with the seeds in a bowl, add a little water and let it soak.
- 3
Place a small or medium-sized cooking pan over low heat.
- 4
Add the red chilli powder and the curry powder.
- 5
Gently dry roast the curry powder, constantly stirring the spice powders.
- 6
Dry roast until the colour changes to a dark brown. Transfer to a bowl and let the roasted curry powder cool.
- 7
Once the dry-roasted curry powder is ready.
- 8
Add the turmeric powder, black pepper powder and the dry roasted curry powder to the chicken.
- 9
Season with salt.To add the soaking tamarind, squeeze out the tamarind seeds from the pulp and pour it over the chicken parts.
- 10
If you are sensitive to spices, please use disposable gloves or a spoon while mixing.
- 11
Combine well, cover and set aside to marinate for 30 to 45 minutes.
- 12
Place a large cooking pan over low-medium heat and pour in the oil.
- 13
Once the oil heats, add the pandan leaf, curry leaves, cinnamon, cardamoms and the cloves.
- 14
Stir for 60 seconds. Add the minced ginger and garlic, stir and cook until they release their aroma.
- 15
Add the green or red chilli and sliced onions. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until they are soft and slightly caramelised.
- 16
Finally, add the fenugreek seeds. Cook for 60 seconds. Constantly stir to avoid the fenugreek seeds from burning.
- 17
Add the marinated chicken to the tempered ingredients.
- 18
Combine thoroughly and slow-simmer for 15-20 minutes or until there is less liquid.
- 19
At this point, decide if you want to fry the chicken slightly to lock in the spice flavours.
- 20
To do this, pour in a tablespoon of oil(not added to the ingredient list)to fry the chicken slightly for 5 minutes.
- 21
Use low-medium fire, or continue to the next step below if you prefer not to.
- 22
Pour in the water, stir, check for seasoning and continue to slow simmer.
- 23
15-20 minutes into cooking time, check the curry.
- 24
Use a spoon to scoop a little gravy, raise it and slowly pour it back into the pan.
- 25
If the gravy looks too watery as you pour it back, add 1-2 tablespoons(not more)of coriander powder to thicken the gravy.
- 26
As you slow cook the chicken, you will notice the thin gravy gradually thickens and reduces(Keep in mind that the gravy without coconut milk is still lighter and doesn’t thicken to a sauce-like consistency.)
- 27
Taste and season with salt if needed. Slow-cook the easy chicken curry for 30 minutes or until the correct consistency(as mentioned above)is reached.
- 28
Remove from the stove, let cool for 5 minutes and serve while still warm.