Sri Lankan Chicken Curry
This one starts with a proper homemade curry powder, toasted and ground fresh rather than pulled from a jar. It makes a real difference to the depth of flavour in the finished curry.
Blooming the curry powder in the pan for a full 3 minutes before the tomatoes go in is what stops it tasting raw or dusty. It’s a small step but it makes a big difference to the finished sauce.
Finished with coconut milk and served over fluffy basmati rice with naan on the side. It’s a proper curry, worth the bit of extra effort.
Sri Lankan Chicken Curry
CHICKEN · DINNER · MEDIUM
A homemade curry powder makes all the difference
Toasting the seeds just until they crackle and turn fragrant builds real depth without tipping into bitter. Go too far and the curry powder turns bitter and burnt instead.
Frying the curry powder in the pan for the full 3 minutes blooms the spices properly in the oil, which is what gives the finished curry its depth rather than a raw, dusty taste.
Stirring frequently during the long simmer keeps the sauce from catching on the bottom of the pan as it thickens, so you end up with a rich, smooth curry rather than anything scorched.
Sri Lankan Chicken Curry
Ingredients
Chicken
- 30 ml Sunflower Oil or Coconut Oil
- 1 kg Chicken Thigh Boneless & Skinless
- 1 Brown (Yellow) Onion Sliced
- 3 Garlic Cloves Grated
- 30 g Ginger Peeled & Grated
- 4 g Ground Turmeric
- 800 g Diced Tomatoes Canned
- 200 ml Coconut Milk
- Salt & Pepper To Taste
Curry Powder
- 12.5 g Coriander Seeds
- 7 g Cumin Seeds
- 3 g Fennel Seeds
- 1.5 g Fenugreek Seeds
- 4 Whole Cloves
- 3 Green Cardamom Pods
- 8 Curry Leaves Optional
- 2 cm Cinnamon Stick
- 1 Dried Red Chilli Optional
Rice
- 200 g Basmati Rice Washed
- 400 g Cold Water
Garnish & Serving
- Cashew Nuts Optional
- Coriander (Cilantro) Optional
- Long Red Chilli Optional
- Naan To Serve
Method
- Toast the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds and fenugreek seeds in a dry pan over medium-high heat for 2 minutes or until lightly golden and just starting to crackle.
- Place all of the curry powder ingredients into a spice grinder or mortar and pestle and grind into a fine powder. Set aside.
- Heat the sunflower oil or coconut oil in a large pan or pot. Sear the chicken in batches for 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown all over. Remove and place into a bowl for the time being.
- To the same pan or pot, add the onion, garlic, ginger and turmeric. Sauté for 6 minutes or until lightly golden and soft. Add the curry powder and fry for 3 minutes, stirring regularly.
- Add the diced tomatoes, season to taste, mix well, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 3 minutes.
- Place the chicken back into the sauce along with any juices from the resting bowl. Cover the chicken in the sauce and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring frequently, until the chicken is cooked through and reaches an internal temperature of 74°C (165°F).
- In the meantime, place the washed rice into a saucepan over high heat, add the water, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, place on a lid, reduce the heat to low, and steam for 14 minutes. Turn off the heat, leave the lid on, and let sit for 4 minutes before fluffing with a fork.
- After 30 minutes, stir the coconut milk through the curry sauce, taste for seasoning, and simmer for a final 2 minutes.
- Serve over the fluffy rice and garnish with cashew nuts (optional), coriander, chilli and naan.
The water to rice ratio is well off in this recipe. Curry was really nice though.
Hi Adam. The water to rice ratio is spot on for me as seen in the video. A lot of these types of issues depend on the strength of your gas or electric stovetop plus the thickness and heat distribution of your cooking equipment. If you don’t mind me asking, What was the issue with your rice? I’m glad you enjoyed the curry. Thanks.
The rice was slightly chewy, had a bit more bite to it than I like, it could have been the size of the pan I was using possibly.
I do apologise for that. The size of the pot or pan definitely makes a difference as the water will either be compact or more spread out thus covering the rice at different levels.
Made the recipe, including the rice, and the rice was perfect. As was the curry. Great job!
Amazing!! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Thank you, Frank.