This is my first South African recipe. Cape chicken curry will spice up your everyday chicken dish. You will simply love it! It’s packed with lots of spices and flavours. Topped with yoghurt and fresh cilantro and with turmeric quinoa as a side dish, this is one of the best curry dishes you’ve ever tried.
To prepare this wonderful Cape chicken curry it takes less than 30 minutes. This is a great recipe; easy, quick and delicious. I can guarantee you, it will warm your tummy and your soul. You have to try it.
I came across this delicious recipe thanks to the Women’s World Cup. But this time I didn’t want to go too crazy with all the national dishes as I did for the Men’s World Cup 2018. Boy, was that a great food journey. In case you missed that, check it out under the FOODball tag and enjoy preparing dishes from all over the world directly in your kitchen.
And don’t forget to try the Cape chicken curry as well. For this recipe, I would suggest buying either chicken breast or chicken thighs. Moreover, cutting the chicken into bite-sized pieces will decrease the cooking time.
This curry recipe only requires a few ingredients. The obvious ingredient is curry. I used mild curry powder with a lovely yellow colour. On one hand, I like it spicy, on the other hand, I still like to taste the food. However, it is up to you how much curry you use.
Garlic and ginger are the next two must-have ingredients. They both give a lovely aroma and round up the flavours of the whole dish. Usually, coconut milk is a typical curry ingredient. However, this time I decided on plain yoghurt. Yoghurt helps to “calm down the fire” caused by the curry. Wink.
Furthermore, couscous, bulgur or quinoa go great along with the Cape chicken curry. I picked quinoa and I added some turmeric flavour to it. Get the stuff, get the ingredients and let’s start.
Ingredients for 2 portions of Cape chicken curry:
- 2 chicken breasts (cut into bite-sized pieces)
- olive oil
- salt, pepper
- 2 spring onions (sliced)
- 2 garlic cloves (sliced)
- a piece of ginger (chopped)
- 2 Tbsp of curry powder
- 200-250 ml vegetable stock
- ½ tsp of corn starch (optional)
- 3-4 Tbsp of plain yoghurt (not sweetened, plus some for serving)
- 3 handfuls quinoa
- 2 tsp turmeric
- fresh cilantro (garnish)
Start with washing the chicken under cold running water. Dry it with some paper kitchen towels and cut into bite-size pieces. In a larger frying pan heat some olive oil. Add the chicken, season and brown it for 7-9 minutes.
At the same time, prepare your side dish. As mentioned, I used quinoa. To give some additional taste and a lovely colour, add some turmeric to the water. The perfect proportion of quinoa and water is 1:1,5. Cook on medium heat for 10 minutes or until all the liquid evaporates and the quinoa doubles in size.
Making a golden Cape chicken curry
Once the pieces are all golden brown, remove the chicken from the pan. At this point add the sliced spring onions and quickly stir fry in the same pan. After 30 seconds take them out of the pan and add them to the chicken. You are still using the same frying pan. Maybe add some more olive oil. Then put the ginger and garlic and stir fry for one minute. Sprinkle curry powder on top, stir and add the vegetable stock. Gently scrape the bottom of the pan using a wooden spoon, in order to “collect” all the chicken flavours that are stuck there. Cook for a couple of minutes.
Regarding the corn starch; it helps to thicken the sauce. However, you can use it or skip it. It’s entirely up to you. If you decide to use it, mix it with 2 spoons of water and then add to the pan. You will see the sauce thickening almost instantly. Keep stirring.
Finally, stir in 3-4 spoons of yoghurt. You’ll get a lovely creamy and warm yellow curry. Put the chicken and spring onions back in the pan and let them sink into the curry. Once they get warm, you are ready to serve.
Present this delicious Cape chicken curry with some turmeric quinoa as a side dish. Add a big spoon of plain yoghurt on top and sprinkle with some fresh cilantro. I just love the combination of all these ingredients. Here you have a perfect curry dish, which makes a great lunch or supper.
Enjoy!
PS:
If you like the recipe, if you make the recipe or if you have any new ideas how to improve or change it, let me know in the comments section below or alternatively share your photos and reactions with me on Instagram (@Passionspoon), Facebook or Twitter (@PassionSpoon1). Simply use the hashtag #passionspoonrecipes in your posts. I would love to see them! (wink)
