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 curry
You will need the following for the curry:
Ingredients
- 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
Method
I cooked this over an open fire, but it can obviously be done on a stove.
Heat 3 to 4 tablespoons of oil in a large, heavy pot over medium heat.
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.
Add the chicken, tamarind, coconut milk and cream and stir all well.
Bring the curry to a boil and then lower the heat. Cover and let it gently simmer for an hour, stirring it halfway through.
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.
Add the onion and sauté until it has softened completely.
Add the garlic, ginger, curry leaves and chilli and cook for another minute.
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.
Cook for another 15 minutes.
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.
We paired this with a 2022 Bergsig Gewürztraminer which went beautifully with this spicy dish. Here are the tasting notes:
