I have a friend named Ivory Hut. I love that girl.
Ivory Hut has a husband who is, among many things, Trinidadian.
Recently, Tom—who’s the type of man who’d take his elderly mother back to her home country for an extended trip because the winters in America are difficult on her—took his elderly mother back to Trinidad for an extended trip because the winter in America was difficult for her.
Wow. That was sort of a deja-vuish sentence there, wasn’t it?
Anyway, Tom—who’s the type of man who’d send his wife’s friend some special curry powder from his native Trinidad—sent his wife’s friend some special curry powder from his native Trinidad.
Why do I keep hearing things twice?
There it was again—did you hear that?
There was one?
Who?
Okay, anyway. Thank you to Tom, who not only sent me a care package of Trini spices and treats, but who also gave me his chicken curry recipe. I tried it over the weekend and my heart soared. I love Trinidad!
You can use this recipe with whatever curry powder you happen to have on hand, and can add whatever ingredients you’d like: jalapenos, bell peppers, even potatoes. Adapt it and make it your own!
Here’s what you need: chicken (whole cut up chicken or a combination of legs and thighs), curry powder (mine came from Trinidad, but you can use any Indian curry mix), turmeric, garlic, onion, tomato, vegetable oil, cilantro, salt, pepper, and mustard (I used Dijon, but any mustard will do).
Throw the onion, tomato, garlic, black pepper, and cilantro into a food processor.
Pulse the mixture several times until it resembles a fine pico de gallo mixture.
Grab the chicken…
And remove the skin, rinsing it well under cool water.
I used legs, because I like dark meat.
And thighs…because I like dark meat.
After you skin and rinse the chicken…
Pat it dry with a couple of paper towels.
Throw the chicken into a bowl, then sprinkle on a couple of teaspoons of salt.
You definitely don’t want to undersalt the chicken. You’ll regret it the rest of your life if you do.
THE REST OF YOUR NATURAL BORN LIFE!
Season the chicken with plenty of freshly ground black pepper, too.
Don’t skimp!
Throw in a good teaspoon of mustard.
Next, throw the onion/tomato/garlic/cilantro mixture into the bowl.
Stir it around well, so the mustard and all the seasonings are evenly distributed.
Now just cover this up and let it sit and fall in love for at least a couple of hours.
You should have plenty of laundry to keep your busy.
Or am I just projecting?
I think I’m just projecting.
I just projected.
Sorry.
Okay! After the chicken is finished marinating, grab the curry powder. Isn’t Trinidadian curry powder beautiful?
Well, I’m sure all curry is beautiful. It’s just that my focus is on Trinidadian curry at this particular moment in our history.
Add a couple of tablespoons of curry to a bowl.
Now grab a little turmeric (which happens to be one of my all-time favorite seasonings, and whose inclusion on Tom’s ingredient list made me sing choruses of joy.)
(Well, silently, of course.)
(My family told me if I sang choruses of joy while reading recipes again, they’d consider having me committed.)
Add it to the bowl, too. Note that if you’re using a different curry powder, you might not have to use this much turmeric (or any at all.) Some curry powders have plenty of turmeric in them already.
Next up, add a little bit of water to the bowl.
And mix it together with a fork. This mixture is known as “curry slurry.”
Place a large skillet over medium-low heat and add some canola oil.
This is totally optional, but I did it because a) Tom told me to and b) Tom told me to. I tossed a few mehti seeds in the oil and let them brown a little.
But if you don’t have mehti seeds, don’t let it keep you up at night!
I didn’t have mehti seeds until Tom sent them to me.
(I didn’t even know what mehti seeds were until Tom sent them to me. They don’t carry them in my local grocery store.)
When the oil is hot…
Pour the curry slurry into the pan.
What we need to do now, basically, is cook the spices.
You need to stir it the whole time, making sure the mixture doesn’t burn or become overly dry.
I switched to a whisk halfway through. The color will gradually become a little deeper.
Push the curry slurry around the pan, making sure it all gets stirred around thoroughly.
After a few minutes, throw in a little chopped onion. Stir it around and cook it for a few minutes…
Then throw in the chicken! I didn’t rinse or wipe off the seasonings first—I just left them coated with the stuff. Nestle the pieces into the sauce, then turn over the pieces to coat them.
Put the lid on (but not tightly on) and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.
Your kitchen smells really good right now.
Lift off the lid, and add a little water to the pan. I added a cup, but TOM SAYS to be prepared to add up to two cups if that’s what it needs. You just don’t want the sauce to be too dry and pasty. It should be saucy.
Now cover the chicken and let it cook for…well, for awhile. I think I let mine go for a good 23 to 25 minutes. You definitely want the chicken to be done all the way through. Lift the lid and check the sauce occasionally, moving the chicken around in the pan and adding a little more water if the sauce becomes dry. Cook until the sauce is thick and the chicken’s done.
Meanwhile, make some rice. In the last ten minutes, throw in several sprigs of cilantro so you’ll wind up with…uh…cilantro-infused rice.
Or you can just leave it plain. I’m not here to add extra steps to your life!
Remove the cilantro from the rice when it’s done.
Heap some rice on a plate…
And mmmm…yummy. By now the chicken’s ready. Doesn’t it look divine?
Add a couple of pieces (I did a thigh and a leg) to the rice.
Spoon some of the sauce over the top…
And just sit there and look at it for a minute. Delicious!
Finally, for the final—and most important!—step:
Dig in, baby! Tom’s instructions actually said to dig in with your hands, which is the true Trini way.
But I was afraid that might be the final nail in my camera’s coffin.
Oh, this was an absolute treat.
There are so many things you can do to dress this up—if I’d had a jalapeno or two, I would have sliced them and added them in. Tom says he likes to use habanero peppers, the brave boy. Ivory Hut says if the mixture winds up being too salty, you can add in more tomatoes. If it’s bland, cook down the sauce a little more. Or if it’s too spicy, splash in some coconut milk (sold in cans.) And Tom says to add in potatoes for more of a curry stew.
The possibilities are endless.
Thanks, Tom, for sharing this dish—and the delicious curry powder—with me. I loved it!
(Note: Ivory Hut made this same dish on her site; check it out for more variations and tips.)
Here’s the printable recipe:
