Cape Chicken Curry
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
Description
This Cape Malay Chicken Curry combines the sweetness of chutney with mellow spices and crunchy almonds for a gentle, flavorful braise.
Ingredients
- 750 g chicken thighs
- 2 tbsp seasoned flour
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 onions, sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 knob of ginger, grated
- 1 tbsp garam masala
- 5 cardamom pods, crushed
- 1 tsp chili flakes
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tomato, chopped
- 2 cups (480 ml) water
- 1 1/2 tbsp (22 ml) chutney
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) flaked almonds, toasted
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Coriander leaves, to serve
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large frypan or casserole dish over medium heat.
- Toss the chicken thighs in the seasoned flour, shaking off any excess.
- Without crowding the pan, fry the chicken pieces for around 5 minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove and set aside.
- In the same pan, add the sliced onions and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent. Add the chopped garlic and grated ginger and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the garam masala, crushed cardamom pods, chili flakes, turmeric, ground cumin, and ground cinnamon. Cook, stirring, for about 3 minutes. Add the chopped tomato and cook for a few minutes more.
- Return the chicken to the pan, add the water and chutney, and stir to combine.
- Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook on low heat for 30-40 minutes, turning the chicken halfway, until tender and cooked through.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Garnish with toasted flaked almonds and coriander leaves before serving.
Notes
- For a milder curry, reduce the amount of chili flakes.
- Serve with rice or flatbread to soak up the sauce.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Toast the almonds in a dry pan over medium heat until golden for extra flavor.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: South African
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 8
- Sodium: 600
- Fat: 25
- Carbohydrates: 20
- Fiber: 3
- Protein: 35
- Cholesterol: 110
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Frequently Asked Questions
What makes this a Cape Malay curry rather than a standard Indian curry?
This is more of a gentle braise than a fiery Indian curry — the defining feature is the 1/2 cup of chutney stirred into the braising liquid alongside the chicken stock. Chutney brings sweetness and a fruity-tangy complexity that is characteristic of Cape Malay cooking, softening the heat of the 1 tsp chili flakes and garam masala into a mild, aromatic sauce.
Why are the flaked almonds toasted separately rather than added raw to the curry?
Toast the 1/4 cup of flaked almonds in a dry pan over medium heat until golden before using them as a garnish. Toasting develops a deeper, nuttier flavor and a crunch that survives being sprinkled over the braised chicken; raw almonds added directly would simply soften in the liquid.
How do I make this curry milder without changing the recipe structure?
Simply reduce the amount of chili flakes — I call for 1 tsp, and cutting it to 1/4 or 1/2 tsp will noticeably lower the heat while keeping the garam masala, cardamom, chutney, and almond flavors intact.
Made this last night and it was lovely, gentle enough that my kids ate it without complaining. Is the chutney meant to be mango? I used mango and it was on the sweet side.
A fruit chutney is what it wants and mango is a fair choice. The Cape Malay version usually leans on an apricot or peach chutney, which tends to be less sweet than a mango one. If yours came out sweet, take the chutney back to a tablespoon and finish with a squeeze of lemon.
made this on sunday and it fed us for three days which i wasnt expecting from one chicken, i liked it even more on day two.