old-fashioned chicken curry, turmeric potatoes and spiced aubergine

What better way to welcome Kornelius to Blighty, than by taking him to the Boat Race, then the pub, and then cooking up a farqing massive curry?

Actually, the ana reminds me last time Hanne and Robert came over I cooked them a curry, and I should've realised since Hanne has spent loads of her life over here, she would naturally get a take away on a Friday night. Triple bugger! Still a slight swerve from Bill to Atul, a fridge full of hearty ale, and we're onto a winner...

From the top, rice, turmeric potatoes, old fashioned chicken curry and spiced aubergine curry:


With pudding care of Gu and a my new favourite drink - Crabbies alcoholic ginger beer - it all goes very, very well and as a special request from Robert, here's the recipe for Old-Fashioned Chicken Curry:

(Serves 4)
3 tsp oil
1 bay leaf
4 green cardamon, 2.5 cm cinnamon stick, 10-12 black peppercorns, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 2 cloves all pounded together in a pestle and mortar
250g onions, finely sliced
0.5 tsp garlic
0.5 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp coriander powder
0.5 tsp turmeric powder
salt
100g tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 tsp tomato paste
600g chicken, chopped
0.5 tsp garam masala
2 tsp coriander leaves, finely chopped

1. Heat the oil in a pan, add the bay leaf and pounded spices, and stir until the spices crackle and they change colour. Add the onions and saute until golden brown. Then add the garlic paste, stir continuously to stop it burning to the bottom of the pan.
2. Add the powdered spices, but not the garam masala. Mix quickly, add the salt, the tomatoes and puree and cook on a slow heat, stirring slowly.
3. Once the tomatoes breakdown into a rough sauce, add the chicken and cook on a slow heat for 20-25 minutes until it's cooked.
4. Serve on rice, sprinkled with the garam masala and coriander leaves.



Food of the milos
Weetabix and toast for breakfast, half a biscotti in Nero during our usual jaunt to the pond before his lunchtime snoopy snooze, followed by chips in the pub and then a tomato puff for dinner. He's on excellent form today, cheering the boats (all of them, including the RNLI) during the race, and wanting to cuddle the Kornelius.

sources
old-fashioned chicken curry - Atul Kochhar, Observer Food Monthly, February 2009, p24
indian-spiced aubergine - Delicious, March 2010, p83
tomato puff - Delicious, June 2008, p152
turmeric potatoes - Bill Granger, Holiday, p190