We selected this chicken curry for our dinner on January 1, 2000.
Ian: "I admit cheating a bit these days. I used to mix all of my curry powders, but have recently taken to starting with one of those from Penzey's, a mail order spice store, then doctoring it to taste."
Basic recipe:
Slice or dice one large onion or two medium onions. Cook at medium-high heat, just a touch of oil, stirring almost constantly to keep the onions from badly burning. Cook until onions are deep brown.
Add skinned chicken thighs and brown. Don't use those boneless pieces--too much flavor is lost. At the same time, add a good dose of garlic, fresh or dried.
After the chicken is brown, add your curry spices. If you're lazy, use something like Penzey's Vindaloo curry mix. I probably use 2 tablespoons of the Penzey's mix.
If you would rather mix your own, start with about that same amount of ground coriander. Just plop it into the hot frying pan. Heating brings out the flavors.
Add much smaller amounts of cumin, ground ginger or a finger of fresh ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, and a bit of turmeric for color. I would guess between 1/2 and 1 teaspoon of each. You'll have to experiment with which mix of flavors you like best.
Then add heat--the pepper kind, that is. I usually add a diced Habanero, but this probably exceeds most people's taste. Try a good dose of red pepper flakes. I also add some ground jalapeno peppers for both taste and color.
After the spices, add a 1/2 cup of plain, nonfat yogurt, along with a bit of water or white wine, perhaps even a touch of lemon juice. You can also use chicken broth, or just more yogurt. Stay away from coconut milk called for in lots of recipes. It's got more fat than a Big Mac, so stick with other liquids.
Let it all simmer for a few minutes, then add some vegetables.
If you like, cut up an unpeeled potato, and perhaps a carrot or two, and add them for color and texture. I often throw in some raisins as a counterpoint to the hot peppers.
Simmer for 30-minutes or until the vegetables are cooked, monitoring as it cooks to be sure it doesn't dry out. Add more liquid as necessary.
Serve over rice.
It's hard to wreck a curry. Different mixes and cooking times will yield slightly different tastes, few of them unpleasant.