You see nadan chicken curry on South Indian inspired restaurants. Funkier places. It’s getting more popular. And it’s about time. South Indian cuisine has it going on. I’m not saying give up on Madras and chicken tikka masala. But I am saying there is more. Way more. And you need to try it.
Nadan chicken curry starts with caramelization of the onions
This is homestyle nadan curry. Traditional. It’s about the caramelization of the onions. That’s always critical in Indian cooking. Take your time doing it. You don’t want them to burn. A nice brown colour. This will take about 20 minutes. But you have to do it. Or it won’t work. After that it’s easy. Add some garlic and ginger. Spices go in next. Fry that up to bloom the spices. Then it’s just come coconut milk and chicken. Let it simmer until the chicken is done and eat.
South Indian style chicken curry
South Indian cooking is a little different. Not the same as what you may be used to. There may be a few things that aren’t super familiar. Don’t let that stop you. This is a whole new world of wonderful waiting for you to discover. Coconut is a big one. Lots of coconut in South Indian food. Gives everything a lusciousness. Not like Thai curries though. All Indian. Coconut oil adds a little something extra. It’s not critical but it’s a nice touch. If you can’t get it just use vegetable oil. Not the end of the world. Curry leaves are the thing. They don’t taste like anything else. And dried doesn’t work. You can make this without the curry leaves. I will still be good. But you won’t get the full experience. If you live somewhere where there is a reasonably large Indian population you should be able to find them. Most any Indian grocer will have them. I’ve even seen them in regular grocery stores. Not often, mind you. But I have seen them. Worst case, go to your local Indian restaurant and ask them where they get their ingredients. I’m sure they will share if you tell them you want to cook nadan chicken curry.
The tempering adds the final burst of flavour
Tempering is a fancy term for a little something extra at the end. That last layer of flavour. It’s not uncommon in Indian cooking although a lot of recipes skip this step for some reason. It’s not a lot of extra work and it’s totally worth it. You just add a bit of oil into a skillet and fry up some whole spices and other seasonings. In this case it’s some mustard seeds, shallots and the curry leaves. Instant wow.
This is a curry that needs to be on restaurant menus
I don’t really understand why Indian restaurants all insist on being the same. You could pretty much order off one menu in another restaurant. It’s just odd. Imagine if all Italian restaurants only served 15 dishes. That would suck. And yet Indian restaurants all seem to be following pretty much exactly the same formula. See what I mean? Makes. No. Sense. And yet we put up with it. We don’t have to. It’s time to be heard. Make nadan chicken curry. And then go to your local Indian restaurant and ask them. “Hey! Where’s the nadan kohzi?” See what they say. I’m betting you’ll be seeing it on their menu soon after that. Bet you didn’t know nadan chicken curry could start a revolution…
