Ali Baba’s Chicken Curry (My Version)

Recipe No: 102

Did this ever happen to you?  You get up early in the morning and slave in the kitchen to make food to pack your husband a delicious homemade lunch….  And he together with his foodie friends go out to eat the lunch ignoring the food that his wife packed with love… Coming back home with his untouched food boosting about the food that he ate at noon while you were expecting him to say something about the food you packed…

Hmm… this has happened to me many times… not only me but many wives when we were in California. One of their hot spots used to be a Middle Eastern Restaurant ‘Ali Baba’ and most of them were crazy about their Chicken Curry that they served on top of yellow Saffron rice with a side salad and  sauteed Vegetables. One day when we went that way he forced me to have this dish saying that it was awesome, even though the above coated incident has already created some sort of an inhibition in me towards that Restaurant…. (My bad!!!) Any way I did eat it once and I should say that was superb…. If you happened to read my earlier posts then you will be aware of my habit to imitate food that I like… whether it is from a restaurant or from a home….  So I took their menu back and read the description that they had given with that dish and this Chicken curry was born…

Ingredients                                                  Serves 3

• Cubed Roasted Chicken……. 2 Cups (Leftover Rotisserie Chicken works well)
• Capsicum/ Bell Pepper………1/3 Cup (Cut into thin, small pieces)
• Olive Oil………………….……….1 Tablespoon (Can substitute with regular Oil)
• Cream…………………….……….1 Cup
• Water………………………………1/2 Cup
• Pepper Powder………………….1/2 -1 Teaspoon
• Curry Powder………….………..1 ½ Tablespoon (Recipe Follows)
• Salt as needed

Curry Powder Mix

• Coriander Powder…………….2 Tablespoons
• Cumin Powder…………………1 Tablespoon
• Turmeric Powder……………..1 Tablespoon

Method of Preparation

1. Mix the ingredients to make the Basic Curry Powder and keep it aside. We will be using only a part of this and you can store the rest for later use.
2. Heat Oil in a pan on medium heat and add Capsicum and saute for a minute.
3. Add the Chicken followed by the Curry Powder and saute for one minute.
4. Add Cream, Water, Pepper and Salt. Let it come to a slow simmer. Close the pan and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Reduce the gravy more if you want a thicker sauce.
5. Serve hot over Saffron Rice with a side salad and sauteed Veggies.

To Make Yellow Saffron Rice

• Grind ½ Teaspoon Salt and a good pinch of Saffron in a mortar and pestle and keep aside. Bring 2 Cups of water to a rolling boil and add 1 Cup washed Basmati Rice, a pinch of Turmeric Powder and the Salt Saffron Mixture. Close the pan and put it on the lowest possible flame till the water is absorbed and the Rice is cooked through.

Notes:

• The Masala mix given here is what I consider as the basic Curry Powder. Sometimes (not in this case) I add enough Red Chilly Powder to it to make it hot.
• The Curry Sauce tends to become thick when it sits. In that case add a bit of water to thin it before serving.

Make it, enjoy the deliciousness and
serve it to your family with love…