Recipe Review: Jamie Oliver’s “My Favorite Curry”

Jamie Oliver always makes fresh, fun food.  Best of all, his recipes aren’t fussy, precise things that must be adhered to perfectly in order to work.  This curry sauce is beautiful, flexible, and seems to be delicious no matter what meat or veggies you throw in.

This is Jamie Oliver’s “Favorite Curry”.  And it’s mine, too.

Jamie Oliver’s  Favorite Curry Sauce – Chicken Version

from Happy Days with the Naked Chef, 2002

• 5 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons black mustard seeds (or 1 tsp mustard powder)
• 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds (I omit these, as I detest them)
• 3 fresh green chillies, seeded and thinly sliced
• 1 handful of curry leaves
• 2 thumb-sized pieces of fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely grated
• 3 onions, peeled and chopped
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 6 tomatoes, chopped (or one large can tomatoes)
• 1  14 oz can coconut milk
• salt
• 4 chicken breasts, sliced into 1/2 inch strips
• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds, crushed

Heat the oil in a pan, and when hot add the mustard seeds. (Or lightly toast the mustard powder, strirring frequently, in a dry pan.) Wait for them to pop, then add the fenugreek seeds (or don’t), fresh green chillies, curry leaves and ginger. Stir and fry for a few minutes. Using a food processor, chop the onions and add to the same pan. Continue to cook for 5 minutes until the onion is light brown and soft, then add the chili powder and turmeric. Using the same food processor, pulse the tomatoes and add these to the pan. Cook for a couple of minutes, then add 1 or 2 wine glasses of water and the coconut milk. Simmer for about 5 minutes until it has the consistency of double cream, then season carefully with salt.

Stir-fry the chicken strips and coriander seeds until lightly colored, then add your sauce and simmer for 10 minutes.

Serve with steamed basmati rice.