Fried chicken and vegetable curry
This is what you’d get if Indian butter chicken stopped off via Japanese chicken katsukare on its way to Nashville hot chicken.
Or perhaps it's Hokkaido soup curry with a katsukare twist?
Either way, it may sound like there’s a lot going on, but really it’s a simple as a bit of fried chicken and a fragrant curry sauce.
Cooking time
<1hr
Serves
4-6
Ingredients
- 4-6 Lilydale free range chicken thigh fillets
- 1 litre vegetable oil, for deep frying
- ½ butternut pumpkin, cut into 1 cm slices
- 1 small eggplant, cut into large wedges
- 1 green capsicum, cut into 5cm pieces
- 1 red onion, cut into wedges
- ½ head broccoli, broken into large florets
- chilli oil, to serve
- lime wedges, to serve
- Dredge
- 1 cup plain flour
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp paprika
- 1 tsp garam masala
- salt, to season
- Marinade
- 1 cup milk
- 1 egg
- ½ tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp paprika
- salt, to season
- Curry sauce
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 onion, grated
- 2 tsp minced garlic and ginger
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp ground cumin, coriander and turmeric
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 3 tbsp plain flour
- 700 ml chicken stock
- 1 tsp sugar
- 100 ml thickened cream
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves (optional)
- salt, to season
Method
- Start with the chicken marinade. Combine the ingredients and whisk together. Add the chicken and set aside while you prepare the curry sauce.
- For the curry sauce heat a medium saucepan over medium heat and add the oil, onion, garlic and ginger. Cook for about 6 minutes, stirring frequently, then add the tomato paste, ground spices and flour and stir to combine. Add the stock a little at a time, stirring to create a smooth sauce. Add the sugar and bring to a simmer. Simmer covered for 15 minutes, then stir through the cream, soy sauce and fenugreek leaves (if using). You should have a sauce around the consistency of gravy. If the sauce is too thick, dilute with a little water. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large saucepan to 180C. Fry the vegetables in separate batches until softened and lightly browned. Remove and drain well.
- Reduce the heat of the oil to 170C. Combine the ingredients for the flour dredge. Remove the chicken from the marinade and dredge in the seasoned flour. Return to the marinade and then dredge once again in the flour. Fry in batches for about 6 minutes until cooked through then drain well.
- Place the curry sauce in the base of a serving plate, arrange the vegetables on top, then slice the chicken and place on top as well. Drizzle with chilli oil to taste and seve with wedges of lime.
