CHICKEN MADRAS CURRY

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Most people enjoy a night out at an Indian restaurant in order to sample a delicious curry but it really is quite easy to prepare this dish in one's own home. The advantage of preparing it at home is also that curries improve their flavour after a few days, so after cooking the curry it is usually a good idea, once cooled, to store in a Tupperware in the fridge in order to reheat and serve a few days later. Doing this allows the curry to penetrate the chicken thoroughly, as when one marinades, and will result in a much tastier dish.

Ingredients needed for a dish for four people are the following:

extra virgin olive oil

4 chicken breasts diced

1 large onion diced

1 red pepper diced

1 desert spoon of madras curry powder

1 small jar of mango chutney

1 banana sliced

handful of sultanas

salt

freshly ground black pepper

Fry the onions and red peppers in a frying pan with hot olive oil until the onion is transparent and the red pepper is soft. Fry the diced chicken, which has previously been seasoned with salt and pepper, separately and once cooked and golden add to the frying pan with the onions and red peppers.

Now add the madras curry and stir it in well until everything is impregnated with the powder, although make sure to lower the heat at this stage to avoid the risk of burning.

Immediately after add the jar of mango chutney and then refill the jar with water and add this as well. Let everything simmer for about 10 minutes and then add the sultanas and sliced bananas and simmer for another ten minutes.

(TIP: when filling the empty jar of mango chutney with water, replace the lid tightly and shake the jar vigourously before adding to the pan - this will ensure that any last remnants of the mango chutney will not be left behind in the jar).

As mentioned above, once cooked this can be either eaten immediately or stored in the fridge for a few days.

Curries are usually best served with basmati rice, pita bread and popadoms and then on a side plate sliced bananas, pineapple cubes, diced cuumber and diced tomatoes can be served in order to cool the palatte as Madras curry is considered to be medium to hot in strength.

In the summer a curry such as this one can also be served with a fresh green leaf salad with a yoghurt dressing.

(TIP: If one finds that the curry is too strong/hot it can be cooled down at the final stage by adding a carton of natural yoghurt).