This is an easy Sri Lankan chicken curry which is based on a fish curry I made a while back. The brinjal (aubergine / eggplant) moju is a traditional Sri Lankan side dish which compliments this curry very well.

This dish consists of three components: The marinade, the curry and the brinjal moju. The original fish curry recipe can be found here.

The marinade

You will need the following ingredients for the marinade:

Ingredients

  • 1 chicken, cut into wings, drumsticks, thighs, breasts and back. Each breast can be cut into 3 pieces and the back can also be cut into 3 pieces.
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
  • 2 tsp Sri Lankan curry powder which can be found here
  • 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp kashmiri chilli powder (or cayenne pepper)

Method

Mix the salt, turmeric, curry powder, black pepper and chilli powder in a bowl.

Add the chicken and make sure it is well coated.

Marinade in the fridge for at least of 4 hours.

The chicken in the marinade

The curry

You will need the following for the curry:

Ingredients

The ingredients for the curry
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 6 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 5cm piece of fresh ginger, minced
  • 20 curry leaves
  • 2 green chillis, split lengthwise
  • 1 tsp turmeric powder
  • 4 tsp Sri Lankan curry powder
  • 1 tsp ground cardamom
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1.5 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1.5 tsp kashmiri (or cayenne) powder
  • 12cm cinnamon stick
  • 4 tsp tamarind paste
  • 400ml coconut cream
  • 400ml coconut milk (full cream)
  • Salt to taste
  • Oil for frying
  • Coriander leaves for garnish, roughly chopped
Close-up of spices

Method

I cooked this over an open fire, but it can obviously be done on a stove.

Doing it all over an open fire

Heat 3 to 4 tablespoons of oil in a large, heavy pot over medium heat.

Onions in the pot

Add the onion and cook until it starts to soften. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for another 5 minutes.

Then add the curry leaves, green chillis, turmeric, curry powder, cardamom, cumin, black pepper, kashmiri (or cayenne) powder and cinnamon. Mix it all and fry for another minute, stirring the whole time.

The spices added

Add the chicken, tamarind, coconut milk and cream and stir all well.

The chicken added

Bring the curry to a boil and then lower the heat. Cover and let it gently simmer for an hour, stirring it halfway through.

All the ingredients added

Taste and add more salt if necessary.

Let the curry stand for at least 20 minutes before serving. You can use this time to make the brinjal moju.

The brinjal moju

The original recipe for the brinjal moju can be found here. You will need to following for the brinjal moju.

Ingredients

  • 1 large brinjal (aubergine / eggplant) cut into 2cm cubes
  • 100ml oil
  • 1/2 red onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 2.5cm fresh ginger, finely chopped
  • 10 curry leaves
  • 1 chilli, sliced
  • 30ml white vinegar
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1.5 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp yellow mustard seeds
  • Salt and black pepper to taste

Method

Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat and add the brinjal. Fry the brinjal until it starts to turn colour. Remove the brinjal and set it aside.

Frying the brinjal

Add the onion and sauté until it has softened completely.

Add the garlic, ginger, curry leaves and chilli and cook for another minute.

The garlic, ginger, curry leaves and chilli added

Add the brinjal back in with the vinegar, sugar, turmeric and mustard seeds. Cook for 5 minutes then adjust the taste with salt and pepper if necessary.

All the ingredients added

Cook for another 15 minutes.

The completed dish

Bring it together

Serve the curry with the brinjal moju on the side and some sticky rice. Sprinkle cumin seeds on the rice and cover the whole dish with chopped coriander leaves.

Coming all together

We paired this with a 2022 Bergsig Gewürztraminer which went beautifully with this spicy dish. Here are the tasting notes:

Paired with the wine