There are many types of curry. When I first saw curry spice on the shelf at the supermarket I was intrigued. I went home and started to look for some recipes for curry that I could make at home. I was surprised at how many styles of curry there are- British, Indian, Thai, Jamaican, Japanese… to name a few. So since I found Jamaican curry on the shelves, I started there. Trying a few recipes, I ended up combining a couple recipes to create what I think is a hearty filling dish. I serve curry with rice, and sometimes if I have time I make roti (Indian flatbread) because it just goes so well together.
A rich curry dish full of flavor, and very comforting on a cold day
Recipe: (serves 4)
- 1 large onion (yellow or white) sliced in half circles
- 1 potato diced, the smaller the chunks the faster they will cook
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 2 chicken breasts
- 3 tablespoons butter (see note)
- 3 tablespoons Jamaican curry powder
- 1 can full fat coconut milk – 12 oz, or 1 1/2 cups (see note)
Jamaican Curry
- In a thick bottom pot melt the butter. Once melted add the curry powder and stir into a paste. When you can smell the aroma from the spice, pour in the coconut milk and give a few gentle stirs. Bring up to a boil, and then lower to a gentle simmer.
- Dice the potato and add it to the pot of coconut milk.
- Heat up about a tablespoon of olive oil or butter in a frying pan. Slice the onion and chop the garlic and add into the heated pan. fry until the onion is translucent, and you can smell the garlic, stop before they brown. Add the onion garlic mix into the coconut milk pot.
- Cut the chicken into chunks and give them a quick sear in the leftover oil from the onions and garlic. Don’t add extra oil, and the chicken should get some nice color. The quick sear will lock in the flavor and moisture. Then add the chicken to the pot.
- Bring the mix back up to a boil, and then lower to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 30 min. This is a good time to put up your rice or fry up your roti.
- Taste the curry, if it needs some seasoning add a pinch of salt. I usually skip this since I like the sweetness the onion brings out and the flavor of the curry powder
Serve over a bed of steaming rice and dig in.
Notes:
I write butter because I really don’t like the flavor of margarine. I prefer to use earth balance or smart balance, something with some more flavor. You can also substitute oil/coconut oil in place of the butter, but don’t let the oil get too hot or the spices will burn.
I like to use full fat coconut milk, it makes the mix a little creamier. You can use regular coconut milk too, but not coconut beverage- it is too watery.
Looks delicious
For someone who thought she didn’t like curry and the flavor of coconut this dish was absolutely delicious! Coconut flavor is barely felt and I guess I do like curry;)