Who can say no to a warm and comforting curry for dinner on a cold winter’s night? In this mild curry by Heleen Meyer, the humble carrot is combined with tender chicken fillets in an aromatic coconut milk sauce. Many years ago, when Heleen compiled her first recipe book, Food from the heart, the well-known local chef and food guru, Cass Abrahams also contributed recipes to the project, which inspired Heleen in so many ways. Cass taught Heleen her way of preparing onions and spices as the base for a stew or curry to add as much flavour as possible. Since then, Heleen has often used this method to prepare a hearty meal. First, onions and spices are sautéed to develop the aromatic flavours then a small amount of water is added, and the onions are gently simmered until they turn transparent and the moisture has evaporated. This takes the flavour of the onions and spices to another level creating a delicious base for the sauce.
In this recipe, the chicken fillets are sliced and simmered gently in the sauce until cooked, opposed to pan-frying them first. Cooking the fillets this way helps to prevent them from overcooking and becoming tough and dry – something that happens in the blink of an eye with chicken fillets. Coconut milk is so good with the spices in this recipe, but feel free to substitute it for the same amount of plain double-cream yoghurt, if preferred. Just remember not to simmer the sauce for too long or over a high heat, as the yoghurt may curdle, unlike the coconut milk. The beauty of this dish is that the carrots already contribute a lot of starch (carbs) to the meal, so it’s a meal in one – no other cooking is needed. If you really want to, then enjoy the curry with small portions of brown basmati rice.
Chicken and carrot curry
Recipe by Heleen Meyer
Serves 6
30 ml (2 tbsp) olive oil
2 onions, cut into thin wedges
2,5 ml (½ tsp) whole fennel seeds
10 ml (2 tsp) whole cumin seeds
2,5 ml (½ tsp) ground turmeric
10 ml (2 tsp) mild curry powder
6-8 curry leaves or 2 lemon leaves
15 ml (1 tbsp) finely grated fresh ginger
1 small red chilli, seeded and finely chopped or more to taste
15 ml (1 tbsp) finely grated lemon rind
100 ml water
6 carrots, peeled and cut into thick diagonal slices
125 ml (½ cup) chicken stock or strong Rooibos
1 x 400 ml tin coconut milk (give the tin a good shake before opening)
6-8 chicken fillets, sliced
salt and pepper to taste
60 ml (¼ cup) chopped fresh coriander leaves
60 ml (¼ cup) cashew nuts
extra fresh coriander leaves and lemon wedges for serving
1. Heat the oil over a medium temperature in a large, wide-based frying pan or wok. Sauté onions for a few minutes. Stir in the spices, curry or lemon leaves, ginger, chilli and lemon rind.
2. Sauté for another few minutes, until the mixture is aromatic. Reduce the heat, add the water and simmer over a low temperature until the onions are soft, and all the liquid has evaporated.
3. Stir in the carrots and sauté for another few minutes, until lightly browned.
4. Add the stock or Rooibos and half of the coconut milk to the onions and carrots. Simmer over a low temperature to heat through and to season the liquid with the spices.
5. Stir in the chicken and remaining coconut milk. Increase the heat slightly to just bring the curry to a gentle simmer.
6. Allow to simmer over a low to medium heat for 8 - 10 minutes or just until the chicken is cooked, but still tender and juicy. Don’t overcook the chicken fillets, as they will become tough and dry.
7. Season to taste and stir in the chopped coriander. Serve the curry in bowls with the nuts, extra coriander and lemon wedges. Lightly steamed green veggies, like broccoli or green beans, will be delicious with this curry.
For more recipes like this visit Heleen’s website https://heleenmeyer.co.za/.
Image by Adel Ferreira, for LiG Tydskrif