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 on sunday and it fed us for three days which i wasnt expecting from one chicken, i liked it even more on day two.