island style curry

CURRY!! It's so good. This one is super flavorful, with tender bits of chicken thighs.  For this curry,  it's important to use really flavorful veggies. I got mine at a local farmers market. The tomatoes were almost purple inside and smelled like heaven. The peppers smelled like peppers should smell. Half of the flavor comes from marinating the chicken in the veggie mix, the other half from the curry paste.

Use a curry powder and seasonings that you like the flavor of. It doesn't have to be expensive, just good. That's the beauty of this dish.

For the marinade: 

1 green bell pepper, diced

2 medium ripe tomatoes, or one large one, diced

4 or 5 spring onions, chopped (keep some aside for garnish)

1 scotch bonnet pepper, diced (optional) 

and/or a big squirt of Sriracha

2 or 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs

juice and zest of 1 lemon (or lime)

salt

Wash your chicken in cold water. Cut off any fat, optionally. Slice or dice, however you like your chicken. Season liberally with salt and lemon or lime juice and zest. Mix in veggies. Cover and let sit at least an hour, up to a day or so, in the refrigerator.

For the curry:

2 tablespoons madras curry powder 

2 tablespoons Goya Adobo all-purpose seasoning (careful with this stuff, its salty!)
2 tablespoons Turmeric 

1 tablespoon allspice

1 cup water

2 tablespoons oil

Mix spices and water together to form a wet soup. Let it sit for 10 minutes or more while you prepare other things, or browse facebook or etc.

Heat a dutch oven to screaming hot. Add oil. When oil is hot, add in curry soup. Careful, it may splash and its very hot! Let cook about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. You want most of the liquid to evaporate and the curry to become a paste, like mashed potatoes. 

When paste is ready, add in marinated chicken. Toss everything together to combine, so the yummy oily curry gets all over the chicken and there aren't any globs of curry paste left. 

Add in about 1/2-1 cup of water, if needed, to form as much sauce as you'd like. 

Let cook about 15 or 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until chicken is tender and cooked through.

Serve with sticky rice, garlic bread or my honey + cornmeal muffins.

Keeps well for a week, tastes better every day.

Things to try:

Stir in a can of coconut milk in the last few minutes of cook time. 

If curry is too bland, add another tomato and a squirt of sriracha.

If curry is too salty, add in more water or coconut milk.