2 lb Potatoes; peeled
3 c Water
1 ts Salt
1 ts Fresh ginger; minced
1 cl Garlic; pressed
1/2 ts Ground turmeric
1 ts Fresh red chile; chopped
3 lb Chicken; in 8 serving pieces
- loose skin & fat discarded
1/2 ts Garam masala *
2 Bay leaves
2 Pods cardamom; cracked
1/4 c Oil
In a pan, soak the potatoes in the water and salt for 1 hour. Add
the ginger, garlic, turmeric, and chili to the potatoes. Bring to a
boil over moderate heat and cook for 15 minutes, or until the
potatoes are nearly soft but still firm.
Remove the potatoes and set aside. Add the chicken to the spice
broth with the garam masala, bay leaves, and cracked cardamom pods.
Cover and cook over moderate heat for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a wok or skillet and brown the potatoes
over moderate heat until they have formed a crisp coating. Remove
the potatoes from the oil and add them to the chicken pan. Continue
to cook everything until both the chicken pieces and potatoes are
done, about 20 minutes. Remove the cover during this process so
that all the liquid evaporates. This is a dry curry.
Serve warm with rice, salad, and chutneys.
* Note: Garam Masala: A combination of spices, freely translated in
Hindi as "hot spice." It contains pepper, clove, cardamom,
cuminseed, coriander, and turmeric in proportions according to
personal preference and regional taste. The mixture in my
collection, in addition to the above list, includes ginger, bay
leaves, and nutmeg, all ground together. I bought it already ground
and packaged.
Recipe by Sephardic Cooking by Copeland Mark -- 600 Recipes
Created in Exotic Sephardic Kitchens from Morocco to India
