Chicken Bhuna Masala - a Chicken Curry

Sandi (From CA)'s Note:

This recipe hails from Hog Penny, one of the oldest pubs on the lovely island of Bermuda. Serves 2, but can easily be multiplied.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 30 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs 10 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 2

• 1 teaspoon cumin seed
• 1 teaspoon coriander seed
• 1 teaspoon cardamom pod
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 chicken breast , uncooked and cut into cubes
• salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• ½ cinnamon stick
• 2 large tomatoes , diced
• ½ red onion , diced
• 2 garlic cloves , diced
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger , chopped
• 1⁄3; cup coconut milk
• 1⁄3; cup white wine
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 cup cooked basmati rice

Directions:

1. In a large skillet, toast the cumin, coriander, and cardamom over low heat until you smell the spices, about 1 minute. Grind the spices finely in a spice grinder.
2. Add oil to the skillet, and heat over medium-high until the oil is very hot or smoking. Add the chicken and season with salt and pepper. Let the chicken brown before stirring; and brown evenly on each side.
3. Add the curry powder, chili powder, cinnamon, tomatoes, onion, garlic, ginger, coconut milk along with the rest of the ground spices and white wine. Bring to a boil, and then simmer over low heat until the sauce thickens, about 1 hour.
4. Season with salt and pepper to taste and add the cilantro.

Reviews

[Marsha Mazz]

OOPS! I goofed but this dish turned out wonderfully anyway. I added white wine VINEGAR instead of white wine. Actgually, the meal had a nice little bite and we all enjoyed the sweet and sour sauce. Next time, I won't brown the chicken at such high heat - it dried it out a little. But, this was wonderfully flavorful.

[Sansdawn]

This is a wonderful dish! I did make some changes however. When using cardamon pods, you break them open and roast the seeds. Also, I saute'd the onions and then added the roasted/ground spices and remaining dry spices then I added the chicken (You lose some of the flavors when you add the spices to cooked chicken). Oh, I did not add the white wine either. My Hubby is from South India and really like the flavors. It's one I'll def. make again! Thanks for sharing this!!

[Jim C.]

Excellent, although the prep time given seems completely unrealistic to me. One great time-saver is using Sri Lanka (a.k.a. Ceylon) curry powder: the spices are already roasted and mixed, so you can just toss it in! If you can't find it in a store you can order it online--it's a delicious, dark alternative to regular curry powder.