Cape Malay Curry

This curry is traditionally South African, and comes from the Malay community in the Western Cape. It's sweet, fruity, spicy, and not too hot. It reminds me of home every time I eat it. I find that curries are always made to taste for me. I always adjust recipes, change quantities, taste the mix and add the notes I think it's missing. So, the quantities should not be taken as gospel.

• Ready In: 50 mins
• Serves: 3-4
• Yields: 4 portions

Ingredients

•  chicken or  lamb
• 1  teaspoon  vegetable oil
• 1  onion, chopped
• 1  garlic clove, minced
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ginger paste
• 1  tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1  tablespoon tomato paste (optional)
• 2 -4  tablespoons  garam  masala paste, depending on desired heat (I use Parak's)
• 1  tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1⁄2 cup chutney (Ideally, you want to use Mrs Balls plain chutney, which is THE South African brand and unfortunately)
• 1⁄4 cup  apricot jam
• 1  teaspoon turmeric
• 1  teaspoon cinnamon
•  water
•  salt

Directions

1. Saute onion in oil until soft and golden.
2. Add garlic and ginger and saute for a minute.
3. Deglaze pot with a little water.
4. Add tomato, red wine vinegar, tomato paste, chutney, apricot jam, turmeric and cinnamon.
5. Add chicken to mixture, and pour in enough water to cover the chicken.
6. OPTIONAL: You can add chopped and peeled potatoes to the curry at this stage. They're delicious this way, and mean you don't have to cook rice!
7. Simmer for 30-45 minutes, or until chicken is done.
8. TASTE MIXTURE BEFORE SERVING AND MAKE ADJUSTMENTS. If it's too sweet, add more vinegar and salt. If it's too acidic, add sugar. If it's not hot enough, add more curry paste. Essentially, there's no one recipe that will make a curry to please everyone, so you have to taste and add.