Sweet Coconut Curry

In elementary school, one of my best friends was part of an Indian family. Her parents had come to the United States for college, well before she was born. I remember going to her house and scent of all the rich spices that were very unfamiliar to me. We almost always ordered pizza when I’d stayed the night.

At that age, I was a pretty picky eater, which was partly just lack of exposure. We ate very traditionally Midwest foods at my own house, and the joke in my bio about my mom using only half the packet of seasoning for tacos is a real scenario. What I wouldn’t give to go back to that time and try her family’s food.

Over time, Indian food has become up there with some of my absolute favorites. Only once have I been disappointed with it. When we travel, food is up there for my top priorities to experience. While in Boston a year ago, we ordered Indian take out. Let me first say, I have a pretty decent spice tolerance considering where I live and how I grew up. I ordered Tikka Masala, which isn’t typically terribly spicy, unless you order it that way. There was no indication on the menu of levels, or selections to be made in this department. The food arrived and after the first bite, it was clear we would need to be making other arrangements, at least for Lucy and Kel. It was like, melt your face, spicy. I probably sound like a baby while writing this, but no joke here. Even Blake struggled through it. I don’t remember the name of the place, but if you travel to Boston and order Indian food- be careful!

This is one type of curry I’ve made in recent years that stands out above others. Hopefully you like it as much as I do!

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs of chicken, or 3 breasts- cubed

• 1 onion- chopped

• 1 bell pepper, color of your choice- chopped

• 1 tomato- chopped

• A handful of spinach

• 4 cloves of garlic- minced

• 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger

• 1 cup of chicken broth

• 1 can of tomato paste

• 1 can of coconut milk

• 3-4 tbsp curry powder

• 1 tbsp coriander

• 1 tsp paprika

• 1/2 tsp turmeric

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp pepper

• 2 tbsp corn starch- mix with 3 tbsp cold water to create a slurry

• Olive oil for cooking

• Jasmine rice for serving and Naan bread for the side

Instructions:

• Heat oil in a large pan. Add onion, peppers, ginger and garlic and cook together for about 5 minutes.

• Next, add the chicken and tomato to the pan. Sprinkle all spices over the chicken and vegetables, and stir to coat. Cook for about 5 minutes. Chicken should be about halfway cooked, but not done yet.

• Add tomato paste, coconut milk, chicken stock and slurry to the pan and stir. Cover and allow to simmer for ten minutes, stirring occasionally.

• When the chicken is cooked through, add the spinach and allow to wilt onto the sauce.

• Serve over Jasmine rice.

  • It was in recent years I figured out how much rice matters. Don’t do just standard brown or white rice here. It makes a difference!

  • Tip for rice: I almost always add butter and cook with at least partial stock vs water. It gives the rice just a hint of flavor without taking over.