My riff on a chicken curry recipe similar to what’s served from food carts in India.
You all know who Ruth Reichl is, right? From the venerable halls of food writers and editors, and cookbook authors. Memoir writers too. She used to work at the Los Angeles Times, so I’d been familiar with her for decades. I’m not sure which one of her books this recipe came from (I own a couple of her books, but not all of them). She’s such a good writer, witty and informative, providing plenty of humility when it comes to cooking. Anyway, this came through on one of my feeds from a blog – not sure which one. So the story goes, Ruth has spent more than one trip food-crawling in India, or maybe it was a similar food-crawl in New York City, but no matter how, this is one of her favorite pastimes, partaking of the chicken served from street food carts. She wrote:
The entire city smells like curry. Passing the fourth halal chicken cart, I can’t resist.
Spicy, tangy, irresistible. The taste of now.” Ruth Reichl
Lately I’ve been craving curry again, and since this was a recent recipe I added to my chicken recipes, it was what was on my mind. As I’m writing this it’s early October and this won’t post until later in the month, but what’s important is that I finally began going to grocery stores. It had been 7 months since I’d set foot in one. For my first foray, I visited a nice, new one, a bit smaller than the mega-grocery chains, and found it not crowded, which made me feel better about being there. I was able to buy a red onion for this dish, then I defrosted a pouch of chicken thighs. I used most of them in a soup that I’ll post in a few days, but I saved out some and made this chicken curry and served it on a bed of cauliflower rice.
Several hours ahead I marinated the chicken in a mixture of spices, with some EVOO and lemon juice added. That rested in the frig. Meanwhile I pulsed some fresh cauliflower (I’ve made a big decision – I much prefer prepping a big whole cauliflower into “cauliflower rice” than I like eating the stuff already prepared and sold as “cauliflower rice.” I’m guessing that by the time it gets to stores, it’s several days old. I may never buy the cut up bag (but still raw) stuff again. I cooked the cauliflower rice in butter over low heat until it was just barely tender.
The CHICKEN: When you’re ready to cook, have everything ready, as the dinner comes together quickly. Into a nonstick pan the chicken goes – it doesn’t need any fat as there is enough in the marinade. Cook it low and slow – it takes about 10 minutes. Test a little piece of chicken to see if it’s done. As I said, meanwhile I did the cauliflower with nothing more than butter in it. I plated the dish.
The ZUCCHINI: I also chopped up one big zucchini and sautéed it in the same pan once I removed the curry. The pan still had a bit of fat in it, AND some of the wonderful spices too. So I got two portions of veggies – the cauliflower rice under the curry AND the zucchini on the side.
I scaled down this recipe since I’m just one person, but two chicken thighs made enough for me to have at least 2 meals. I might even stretch it to 3. Especially if I serve a moderate portion of the zucchini as well. The only change I made to this recipe was to add some Greek yogurt at the end. And I used a bit more of the oregano than the original called for. As for the yogurt – I like a creamy curry. Street carts don’t do that, apparently, so I did veer off a little bit. Food carts serve a cold sauce on the side that’s a mixture of yogurt, mayo, sugar, salt, pepper and vinegar. So, your choice. I let the yogurt simmer too long so it began to separate – so do as I say, not as I did – simmer the yogurt for just long enough to heat it through, then serve.
What’s GOOD: This dish is divine! What else can I say – SO delicious. So comfort-food for me. I nearly licked the plate. Everything about it was fantastic. I’ll be making this again and again. Thank you, Ruth Reichl!
What’s NOT: only that you need to start this the night before or at least 4 hours ahead to marinate the chicken. The seasoning permeates the chicken well during that time – don’t eliminate that step.
printer-friendly PDF and MasterCook file (click link to open recipe)
* Exported from MasterCook *
Food Cart Chicken Curry
Recipe By: Adapted from Ruth Reichl
Serving Size: 4
1 pound chicken thigh, meat only — boneless, skinless
1 tablespoon curry powder
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 red onion — halved, sliced
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
2 cloves garlic — minced
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 cups Greek yogurt, full-fat
Cilantro as garnish
Serve with rice or cauliflower rice and zucchini on the side
NOTE: I served this with a side of zucchini, trimmed, chopped, and cooked quickly over high heat in the seasoning and oil that was left in the skillet after making the curry.
1. Cut the chicken into bite-sized chunks, and slice the onion into thin slices.
2. Make a paste by combining the olive oil with 1-1/2 tablespoons lemon juice, the coriander, garlic, curry powder, oregano, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper.
3. Place onions and chicken into a plastic bag, with the marinade, and squish it all round so the onions and chicken are thoroughly coated. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.
4. Add onions and chicken to large skillet (nonstick) and saute for about 5 minutes, tossing every minute or so. It will splutter a bit.Taste the chicken to see if it’s tender and add additional salt and pepper to taste.
5. Serve over white rice or cauliflower rice. At many food carts they serve this with a white sauce – combine equal parts of mayonnaise and Greek yogurt, then add a dollop of sugar, salt and pepper, and a splash of vinegar. Some prefer to sprinkle on red hot sauce.
Per Serving: 354 Calories; 22g Fat (57.3% calories from fat); 26g Protein; 11g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 138mg Cholesterol; 157mg Sodium; 3g Total Sugars; 0mcg Vitamin D; 43mg Calcium; 2mg Iron; 372mg Potassium; 227mg Phosphorus.
hddonna
said on October 19th, 2020:
Oh, yum! This sounds perfect. I’m very into one-pan, quick to prepare dishes these days, and everything is already on hand in my kitchen. This will do nicely for Wednesday, when I hope my daughter will be able to come for the day.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. I just LOVED it, and can happily eat curry at least once a week. My Ancestry DNA doesn’t say I have any Indian in my blood, so I don’t know where this love of curry comes from! Let me know what you thought of it. . . carolyn t
hddonna
said on October 22nd, 2020:
We had it yesterday, and it was great! I loved how easy it was–I set the chicken to marinate in the morning and was able to get dinner on the table quickly and with minimal mess. I discovered to my surprise that I was nearly out of curry powder–there was only about a teaspoon left, and although my card file said there was a partial bag in my storage bin, it wasn’t there! I used what I had and made up the difference with extra cumin, coriander, and turmeric. It was delicious, but I’m looking forward to making it again soon with the correct amount of curry powder. This was a hit with my 2 1/2 year-old granddaughter. Her mom makes a lot of curried dishes, most often a Sri Lankan curry her husband’s mom makes, which she learned when they were missionaries to Sri Lanka. I haven’t tasted that one yet, but Katie says it’s pretty hot and not a favorite of Lilly’s.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it as much as I did. I can’t wait to make it again . . . just have to cook some chicken or buy a rotisserie one. I have extra spices and herbs stored in the wine cellar (my DH Dave would have had a FIT about that if he were still alive!) and I had to write a list to put in each one so I can find things too. Donna, you and I are so much alike! I’m tickled to hear a 2 1/2 year old likes curry. That’s pretty amazing considering their tender taste buds. . ..carolyn t