WHAT’S COOKING: Chicken coconut curry with ground almonds and curry leaves

This week, I prepared a distinctive chicken coconut curry with ground almonds and curry leaves. Curry leaves, a fragrant leaf of a tree, have an exotic aroma of smoky citrus blended with a hint of bay and an intriguing nuttiness, differentiating them from curry plants that are ornamental but share a curry-like fragrance. I spotted fresh curry leaves in my local supermarket, deciding to pair them with ground almonds, ground almonds being ground immediately before use.

The curry, essentially a chicken coconut curry, also included fresh coriander leaves for added flavor.

To prepare the sauce, I started by making my own cook-in sauce, mixing coconut cream, tomato paste, garlic, ginger, ground almonds, and spices. After incorporating fresh curry leaves, I added chicken portions and simmered until tender and the sauce had enriched in flavor and color. An optional technique involved frying the curry leaves in coconut oil before adding the rest of the ingredients.

Tony's chicken coconut curry with ground almonds and curry leaves (serves 2-4) requires 2 Tbsp coconut oil, 1 x 400g can of coconut cream, 3 garlic cloves, 3cm fresh ginger, 100g tomato paste, 100g raw almonds, salt, ½ tsp ground cumin, ½ tsp ground turmeric, 1 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp ground fennel, 1 or 2 Tbsp masala, a handful of fresh coriander leaves, and extra curry leaves for garnish.

I began by peeling and finely chopping the garlic and ginger, grinding the almonds until fine. If desired, I first fried the fresh curry leaves in melted coconut oil for a minute, then proceeded to add coconut cream, tomato paste, finely chopped garlic and ginger, and ground almonds to a pot. Spices were stirred in, salt to taste was added, fresh curry leaves were incorporated, followed by chicken pieces. The curry was simmered gently until the chicken was tender, about 30 minutes.

While the curry cooked, I prepared basmati rice using a method I've been using for over 20 years. I rinsed the rice four times in cold water and drained it, slowly pouring cold water while holding my index finger at the top of the rice. When the water reached the first digit above the rice, I turned off the water. The pot was then placed on high heat and brought to a boil, uncovered.

After boiling, the heat was turned off, foil cap was put on, and the lid was tightly sealed. The pot of rice was left to sit for 30 minutes, resulting in perfectly cooked rice.

To serve, I uncovered the rice, checked and adjusted if needed, and then stirred chopped coriander leaves into the curry. Basmati rice was molded into ramekins and transferred onto plates, and the chicken curry was spooned alongside, garnished with fresh curry leaf sprigs.