Basic Chicken Curry

This is a simple Chicken Curry. Once you learn this you will be able to cook meat or fish curry. When I taught my children to cook, I told them the same, learn the chicken curry first then you can cook Chicken or Meat Curry, Bhuna or Kalia (with potato). There are lots of other variations too, see below.  In my recipes I use minimum amount of oil and Onion. Remember more onion you use, more oil you will need.

• Heat the pot
• Add 3 tbs OIL + 1 cup chopped ONION or onion paste* + 1 tsp SALT (or to your taste) > Fry for 5 mins
• Add 1 tbs GARLIC paste* + 1 tbs GINGER paste* > cook for another 5 mins
• Add 1/2 cup water + 2 tsp CURRY POWDER* > cook for 5 mins
• Add 1 kg CHICKEN > cook for 5 mins turning them over couple of times.
• Add 1 cup water > bring to boil
• Cover the pot
• Reduce heat to minimum and simmer for 40 mins (use a timer) 

After 40 mins, turn the heat off > Chicken curry is done!

* See TIPS page

For variations you can do any of the following:

• Add 2 tbs Yogurt
• Add 1 tsp of Chicken or Vegetable seasoning, but as they contain salt, you will have to adjust the amount of salt.
• Add 1 cup Coconut milk (Malai curry) instead of water.
• Add Coriander leaves (towards the end)
• Add Potato (Kalia curry) or vegetable of your choice (1/2 kg) before last 30 mins.
• Add Shatkora (type of lemon or just use orange peel)
• You can use Meat or Fish instead of chicken, Meat needs more cooking time (60 mins minimum). Fish needs less cooking time (15-20 mins) For Fish curry, do not use GINGER because ginger is a tenderiser, don't need for fish.  

* If you like thicker curry, take the lid off for last 15 mins and reduce the sauce. For more oily or spicy curry just increase the amount of spice and oil.
* If you are going to add vegetables, You will need more oil, spice, salt & water.

To cook Chicken Bhuna, just use BIRIYANI MASALA (see TIPS page) instead of Curry powder, rest of the process is same.