Thank you Paul van Reyk, skilled chef, caterer and SBS Food Lover’s Guide reviewer for thrilling our taste buds with this home grown recipe specially created for his Mum who likes black curries. That means she likes her spices roasted just this side of charred-to-cancer-producing-grit. All the more delicious!

MUM’S BLACK CHICKEN CURRY



Ingredients:
1 kg chicken

3 large dry red chillies

2 tbsp coriander

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp fennel seed

1 tbsp sliced onions

4 thin slices of ginger 

2 cloves garlic finely chopped

5 cm piece of cinnamon left whole

1 sprig curry leaves

salt

500 mls thin coconut milk (canned coconut or powdered coconut milk thinned to till very pale)

Method:
Roast chillies, coriander, fennel and cumin till the seeds are quite dark brown, verging on black. Grind them fine. 


Joint the chicken to your taste. You can skin the chicken, too, if you like, though fat from the skin adds immensely to the flavour. If you get chicken with its giblets, toss them in too to increase the depth of the final gravy flavour.


Put the chicken pieces into a saucepan with sufficient coconut milk to just cover them. Add the roasted ingredients, the onions, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, curry leaves, salt, bring all to the boil, then turn down to a light simmer till the chicken is cooked through.

For more tantalizing recipes check out Paul’s webpage http://www.buthkuddeh.com.au