Qorma Lawand

(Afghani Chicken Curry)

January 12: National Curried Chicken Day

We love eating curried chicken and have featured different recipes from around the world—from stews to dumplings and sandwiches. Here is another one from Afghanistan for National Curried Chicken Day. Qorma Lawand has a milder flavor than other chicken curried stews but it is still delicious, hearty and satisfying. Instead of using the curry spice, we made our own nut paste marinade and onion gravy mixture for a fresh flavor. Try this Afghani chicken curry over Kabuli Pulao (Afghani pilaf) or basmati rice for a complete meal combination. بفرماييد • نوش جان ښه اشتیا ولری •

Recipe

(Adapted from Whats4Eats)

Ingredients for the nut paste marinade

  • 2 pounds chicken, boneless and skinless, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • ½ cup cashew nuts
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and grated
  • ½ cup water

Ingredients for the spice mixture

  • 2 teaspoons turmeric
  • 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • ½ teaspoon ground cloves
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Ingredients for the onion gravy

  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • ¼ cup ghee (clarified butter) or oil
  • 1-2 chili peppers, sliced thinly
  • 1 cup plain yogurt (whole or full fat)
  • water
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 bay leaf
  • ½ cup cilantro, chopped

Directions

Make the marinade for the chicken by placing the nuts, garlic, ginger and water in a food processor or blender. Puree until smooth. Pour into a bowl. Stir the chicken pieces in the marinade. Cover and chill for at least one hour (overnight is best).

Prepare the spice mixture by combining in a small cup or bowl the turmeric, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and nutmeg. Set aside.

Chop the onions and slice the chili peppers. Heat a skillet on medium high with ghee or oil. Stir in the spice mixture.

Saute the onions until softened. Stir in the sliced chili peppers. Add the chicken and simmer for about 5-7 minutes. Stir in the yogurt.

Add enough water to make a gravy to desired thickness or soupiness. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the bay leaf. Cover and lower heat to medium low. Cook for 35-45 minutes, adding more water if necessary. Adjust seasonings. Discard the bay leaf. Stir in the cilantro leaves.  Serve hot with rice.

Notes

  • Search our blog for other Afghani recipes.
  • Search our blog for other chicken curry recipes.

Massaman Chicken Curry

January 12: National Curried Chicken Day

We tend to be creatures of habit, ordering the same old foods whenever we go out to our favorite restaurants. Highlander almost always orders massaman chicken curry at Thai eateries. He loves different kinds of chicken curry that we have several recipe versions posted on our blog for National Curried Chicken Day.

Massaman curry, in particular, is derived from an archaic word “mussulman” for Muslim, which influenced Thailand’s cooking style for this curry during the early centuries of trading between the Middle East and South Asia. Curry paste is first mixed with coconut milk or cream, making this dish slightly sweeter than other curries. A 2011 CNNGo reader’s survey even ranked massaman curry #10 in its list of the “World’s 50 Most Delicious Foods”.

Following the Thai way, cook massaman chicken curry for National Curried Chicken Day!

Recipe

(Adapted from Maesri)

Ingredients

  • 1 – ½ cups of chicken breast
  • 1 can (4 ounces) massaman curry paste
  • 2 cans (14 ounces each) of coconut milk, divided use
  • 1 large potato, peeled and cut into cubes
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • ½ cup baby carrots (optional)
  • cilantro, fresh chopped (optional garnish)

Directions

Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. In a large pot, stir one can of coconut milk with the curry paste. Simmer over medium heat for about five minutes.

Add the chicken and the other can of coconut milk. Bring to a boil. Add the potatoes.

Stir in the onions and baby carrots. Cover and heat until the chicken is cooked through (around 30 minutes). Garnish with cilantro. Serve hot with steamed white rice.

Notes

  • Substitute the chicken for lamb, beef or other favorite meat/protein. Muslims do not cook pork in massaman curry.
  • Search our blog for other curried chicken recipes for National Curried Chicken Day.

Filipino Chicken Curry

January 12: National Curried Chicken Day

We have cooked different chicken curries for our blog before. But Islander seems to have gone back to the basics with her family’s Filipino-style chicken curry recipe for National Curried Chicken Day. This tasty dish is sometimes served at Filipino buffets and fiestas.

The Philippines were ruled by the Indianized kingdom of the Hindu Majapahit, Khmer Empire and Buddhist Srivijaya for 2,000 years before the islands were colonized by Spain. There is still a big population of Indians in some areas. Thus, the Indian culture has influenced Filipino cuisine. This recipe fuses Indian curry spices with sour patis (Filipino fish sauce) to give this dish its distinct flavor.

For a Filipino fusion food, try this Pinoy-style chicken curry recipe on National Curried Chicken Day.

Recipe

  • 1-2 pounds chicken legs or thighs
  • 3 tablespoons oil
  • 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • 1 small onion, quartered
  • 2 garlic cloves, smashed
  • 1 tablespoon patis (fish sauce)
  • 3 tablespoons curry powder
  • 1 cup water
  • ½ – 1 cup baby carrots
  • 1 can (14 ounces) coconut milk
  • 1 bell pepper, cut into large squares
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Prepare the vegetables by cutting the potatoes, onion and bell peppers. Set aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large pot. Cook the potatoes on medium high heat for about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally so they don’t stick to the pot. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. In the same pot, add 1 tablespoon of oil and lightly brown the chicken pieces. Add the onions and garlic to the chicken and sauté until the onions have softened. Season with patis (fish sauce).

Sprinkle in the curry powder. Stir well with the water. Add the carrots and potatoes. Cover, lower the heat to medium and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in the coconut milk. Mix in the bell peppers. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook for another 10 minutes. Transfer to a large serving bowl. Serve hot with rice.

Notes

  • Bottled patis (fish sauce) may be found in the Asian section of some grocery stores or in Asian markets.
  • Search our blog for more chicken curry recipes.
  • Find more Filipino recipes under the ethnic section of our Theme Menus.