Chicken Curry

Here we have two ways to make chicken curry. Outwardly Indian, they are in fact American supermarket style. A real curry is a spice blend specific to the dish and cook, while we use a one size fits all mixture. Both recipes are suitable for lunch service, one being an á la minute and the other for holding on the steamtable. If you want to learn the traditional way to make a curry, get yourself an Indian mom, or if that isn't practical, be prepared to hunt for some unusual ingredients. (which is both great fun and an eye-opener) Linda Bladholm's The Indian Grocery Store Demystified is a place to start.

The first one is adapted from Mark Bittman (The Minimalist Cooks at Home), is written for four, but can be adjusted up or down. Rub four (boneless, skinless) chicken breasts with S&P and one teaspoon of packaged curry powder. (Check the curry's date.) Brown the breasts in ghee or an unflavored oil. Set in a fast oven to finish. French a medium onion or three shallots. Add S&P and a teaspoon curry and brown. Splash a bit of stock in to deglaze and bring the pan's heat way down. Fold in one cup of sour cream, add chicken, let it meld for a minute, plate with cilantro.

Notes;
• Yeah I know, boneless/skinless is the avian version of supermarket tomatoes. Oh well.
• You do date your product when it comes in, don't you? If the curry has been sitting on the shelf forever and a day, toss it. If you don't make curry every day, buy a small jar, not the institutional size. Fresh is good, stale is not.
• Ghee is the same as pan clarified unsalted butter.
• Bringing the heat down is crucial. Sour cream curdles under high heat (Here's why) This is also the reason this version is unsuitable for the steamtable.
• Subs include stabilized whole-milk yogurt (1 t flour or cornstarch / cup), adding golden currants (raisins taste good, but look a bit funky in the sauce. Currants look and taste good) Shrimp for chicken, dried coconut, slivered almonds, peas (last minute) chili of one sort or another. Do a few one-offs to find the combination you like, then work on fine tuning it.

For the second, bone, de-fat and skin whole chicken pieces. (you do have a stockpot, don't you?) Plunk them in a brazing pan (no oil) and sear them completely. Add garlic, onion or shallot to taste with some S&P. When the vegetables are wilted, add tikka masala (notes) and work the pan for a minute to open up the flavors. Cover with water or stock and set on a slow simmer to reduce. The sauce should be fairly thick when your done (at least an hour)

Notes:
• Tlkka Masala is a brick red spice paste, usually sold in jars. I've seen Bombay brand all over the place.
• Instead of serving over rice, you can add cubed potatoes to make it self contained.
• The first part of the reduction needs to take place in the brazing pan, because the chicken finishes cooking there. The second part, the thickening, can be on the steamtable. (140°+, you know the rules)