It has been a while since I shared a full meal here. Last weekend, I cooked a rather delicious one. The undisputed stars of the spread were the Anglo-Indian Country Captain Curry with Yellow Coconut Rice, Devil Chutney and Curd Salad. All the Anglo-Indian recipes were adapted from Bridget White-Kumar. Bridget is a cookbook author, culinary consultant and bonafide authority on Anglo-Indian cuisine. She has written 7 recipe books documenting the authentic flavors of Colonial ‘Anglo’ India. Her recipes are as simple as they are tasty. I largely followed her guidelines, but adapted each of the dishes to suit my family’s taste.

The chicken curry is one that I make often. I always add potatoes to mine because the boys love potatoes with meat. The yellow rice, rich with coconut milk and saffron, was delicate and fragrant. I especially liked the Devil Chutney or as Bridget calls it “Fiery Mother-In-Law’s Tongue Chutney” (frankly, I like that name better 😆). It was spicy, tangy and sweet and would compliment almost any meal. The curd salad is essentially raita with the addition of ground coconut paste. The combination of yogurt and coconut makes for a richer, more luxurious mouthfeel.

I think I did good because plates were wiped clean, the boys went for thirds and a day’s worth of effort was demolished in a matter of minutes! I am sharing my version of the chicken curry recipe below. The original version for the same along with the other recipes are available on Bridget’s blog.

Recipe

Country Captain Chicken Curry with Potatoes

(Serves 4)

Ingredients

500 gms skinless whole chicken legs, cut into 3 pieces each

For the Marinade -
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tsp red chilli powder
3/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Salt to taste

For the Curry -
2 tbsp ghee
4 cloves
2 green cardamoms
2” piece cinnamon
8 whole black peppercorns
1 dried red chilli
3 medium-sized onions, finely sliced
2 tsp finely chopped garlic
1/4 cup tomato purée (fresh/canned)
1 tsp powdered jaggery/sugar
500 gms potatoes, washed, peeled and chopped into large chunks
2 cups water
Juice of 1/2 a lime
2 tbsp finely chopped cilantro to garnish

Method

Marinate the chicken with the ginger-garlic paste, turmeric, chilli powder, ground cinnamon and a teaspoon of salt for at least 30 minutes.

Over medium heat, melt the ghee in a Dutch oven or deep heavy-based pan. Add the whole spices and stir-fry until they turn fragrant.

Add the sliced onions and chopped garlic and fry until golden brown.

Add the marinated chicken and sauté until the chicken pieces turn opaque and the raw smell of the ginger-garlic disappears. Add the tomato purée and powdered jaggery and sauté for about 5 minutes.

Add the potatoes and stir-fry for another 5 minutes. Add in the water and stir well to mix.

Once the gravy reaches a boil, lower the heat, cover and cook stirring occasionally until the chicken is cooked and the potatoes are tender.

Remove the lid, turn up the heat to medium and allow the gravy to thicken.

Stir in the lime juice, taste and adjust the salt if needed.

Serve hot garnished with chopped cilantro.