Curries are a perfect thing to cook when it is grey and cold outside, the smell can make you feel like you’re immersed in India!
They're also very simple and cost effective when you have all the spices and ingredients ready in the cupboard, as well as being much healthier than buying pre-made sauces. It’s useful to keep chillies in the freezer, so they’re available when you need them. The sweet potato can always be swapped for butternut squash or aubergine and the good thing about curries is it doesn't matter what vegetables you use. Don't be afraid to experiment.
INGREDIENTS (SERVES 2)
| Qty |
Ingredients |
| 2 |
Chicken Breasts |
| 2 |
Sweet Potatoes |
| 2 |
Jasmine Green Tea Teabags |
| 2 |
Handfuls of Spinach |
| 2cm |
Piece of Ginger |
½
1 |
A Red Chilli
Onion |
| 1 tbsp |
Vegetable Oil |
| 2 |
Cloves Of Garlic |
| ½ |
Block of Creamed Coconut or ½ Tin Of Coconut Milk |
| 1 tsp |
Mustard Seeds |
| 2 tsp |
Mango Chutney |
| 8 |
Cardamom Pods |
| ½ tsp |
Coriander Seeds |
| ½ tsp |
Ground Coriander |
| 1 tsp |
Turmeric Powder |
| ½ tsp |
Curry Powder |
| 150g |
White Basmati Rice |
| 500ml |
Boiling Water |
|
A Small Bunch of Coriander |
- Start by steeping the teabags in the boiling water for 2 minutes.
- Remove the teabags and leave to one side.
- Cut the chicken into similar sized pieces and chop the onion.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan and then add the mustard seeds.
- When the mustard seeds begin to pop, add the onions and fry until lightly coloured.
- Then brown the chicken for three minutes in the pan.
- While the chicken is browning, peel and chop the sweet potato, and then add it to the curry.
- Grate the ginger *there is no need to peel it first*, crush the garlic, and chop and deseed the chilli. *Add more chilli or some extra chilli flakes to give a bigger kick*.
- Mix these in with the chicken and sweet potato.
- Pour in 200ml of jasmine tea and save the rest for the rice.
- In a pestle and mortar, crush the seeds of 4 of the cardamom pods and all of the coriander seeds, add them to the curry with the ground coriander, turmeric, curry powder and mango chutney.
- Leave to cook on a medium heat while you make the rice.
- Put the rice into a frying pan *this must have a lid* and pour over the rest of the tea (300ml) as well as the 4 remaining cardamom pods.
- Season with salt and pepper and bring to the boil with the lid on.
- Once it has hit boiling, turn the heat right down to very low and cook for a further 10 minutes or according to packet instructions. *Do not be tempted to remove the lid!*
- Add the coconut block or milk to the curry and turn the heat down a bit.
- Once the rice has been cooking for 10 minutes, the curry should be ready.
- Simply top the curry with a couple of handfuls of spinach, stir through for a few minutes, and you’re ready to serve up.
- Roughly chop a bunch of coriander and sprinkle it on top of the plates to serve.
Curry is great served with yoghurt, mango chutney and chopped banana.
Twinings has teamed up with the brilliant healthy food blogger Olivia Huntingford to create some light, fresh and delicious tasting recipes for you to enjoy. We hope you like her creations and don’t forget to take some pictures for us to see! Check out Olivia's blog – Hunting for Health