Recipe: Chicken Curry Vindaloo

Chicken Curry Vindaloo (Parsi Dish, Bombay, India)
alt.food.asian/Not the Real Nancy (2002)

1 chicken, cut up
2 medium onions
2 Tbsp. oil
6 cloves garlic
1/2-inch piece fresh ginger root
1 tsp. ground coriander powder
1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
1/2 tsp. ground hot pepper
1/4 tsp. dried mustard
1/2 tsp. ground cumin seed
1/2 coconut (or 1 c. dried, unsweetened, shredded coconut) for coconut milk
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 Tbsp. tomato paste (thin with a bit of water)

Make coconut milk by putting the meat of a 1/2 a coconut (with brown skin removed) in blender with 2 cups hot water and blending several minutes. If dried coconut is used, add the hot water to it and let it stand while preparing the rest of the ingredients. When ready to use pour the mixture through a strainer to measure 1 1/2 cups liquid.

Dice onions and saute in 2 tablespoons oil until golden brown. Grind ginger and garlic to a pulp in mortar and pestle or blender; add to onions along with the rest of the spices.

Fry spices 3 to 5 minutes. Add chicken and salt and brown lightly. Add 1 1/2 cups coconut milk and 1/2 cup of the coconut pulp. Add tomato paste. Simmer, covered until chicken is tender. Stir in lemon juice before serving.

If necessary in the above recipe, 1 teaspoon ground ginger may be substituted for fresh ginger root and parsley for fresh coriander. Fresh ginger root and fresh coriander (Chinese parsley) can be found in any Chinese grocery and many Spanish food stores where coriander is known as culantro or cilantrillo.