Kumato Chicken Curry

If you’ve never cooked it, curry can be a bit daunting, so get ready to feel accomplished. The layering of vegetables, spices and poaching the chicken in the sauce is a simple yet powerful way to develop complex flavors.

Ingredients - Spice Mixture

• 1 tsp pepper

• 1 tsp coriander

• 1 tsp cumin

• 1/2 tsp turmeric

• seeds of 5 green cardamom pods

• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp greek oregano

• 1/2 tsp hot smoked paprika

• 1 tsp kosher salt

• 1/8 tsp nutmeg

Ingredients

• 2 lbs chicken thighs

• 8 kumato tomatoes

• 2 limes

• 1 inch piece ginger

• 1 small onion

• 1 serrano pepper

• cilantro

• 2 cloves garlic

• 1 tbsp tomato paste

• 1 13.5 oz can coconut milk

• 3/4 cup chicken stock

• 1 tbsp coconut oil

• 1 tbsp canola oil

• 1/2 tsp kosher salt

Method

1. Initial Prep:

   1. Combine spice mixture in mortar and pestle if using whole seeds

   2. Halve tomatoes

   3. Peel then dice ginger

   4. Mince garlic

   5. Dice serrano

   6. Halve onion at the root, cut it vertically into thirds just short of the root, and then slice it thin.

2. Over medium heat, warm a large cast iron. Add 1 tbsp coconut oil followed by ginger, onion, and garlic. Stir frequently so that garlic doesn’t burn. Cook until onions have softened, 5 minutes.

3. Add tomatoes and serrano along with 1 Tbsp canola oil and 1/2 tsp salt to pull out moisture. Stir occasionally until the tomatoes have given up most of their liquid, 12 minutes.

4. Add tomato paste and spice mixture, stir frequently and cook until the paste is incorporated well and the spice mixture is aromatic, 2 minutes.

5. Add coconut milk and chicken stock. Let it slowly come up to a gentle simmer, and you can even drop it to medium low if it is simmering too fast. 9 minutes.

6. While the sauce is simmering, cut the chicken into 1 inch pieces.

7. The mixture may be looking pretty thick, and you may be tempted to add more chicken stock. DON’T. As the chicken poaches it will release moisture back into the sauce. You’ll see.

8. Add the raw chicken to the sauce and really give it a good stir to coat every nook and cranny. Let it simmer for about 10-15 minutes.

9. As the chicken cooks, chop a handful of fresh cilantro. Zest both limes right over the top of the fresh cilantro. Toss to combine. Cut the zested limes into wedges.

10. Once the chicken is cooked through, you can either continue to cook it to thicken the sauce, or just serve it now. Your call.

11. Serve it with coconut rice, maybe some avocado, and listen this is going to make for some serious leftovers. You’re v welcome.