The Martha Stewart Show

Curry 2, ChikaLicious

The Martha Stewart Show

Martha and Sarah Carey, Martha Stewart Living food editor and coauthor of "Cooking School," finish making chicken curry, and give you a look behind the scenes of ChikaLicious, New York City's first dessert bar.

Stewing 101

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When it's cold outside, there is nothing more satisfying than a pot of warm, hearty stew. Plus, stews are relatively inexpensive to make because they're best when made with inexpensive cuts of meat whether you choose beef, lamb, or poultry.

And the best part is that they don't require a lot of special equipment, skill, or hands-on time in the kitchen -- stews yield a hearty, delicious meal that looks like you worked harder than you did.

The technique for stewing is similar to braising, the main difference being that when you prepare a stew, the meat, fish, or poultry is cut into 1- to 3-inch pieces, and the liquid entirely covers what's in the pot, while most braised meats are cooked in larger pieces and only partially submerged. The best cuts for stewing come from the harder-worked muscle groups -- the leg, shoulder, breast, and neck areas. Also, these cuts have more collagen than tender cuts, which keeps them moist and yields more flavorful results.

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Try this delicious Chicken Curry dish, adapted from "Martha Stewart's Cooking School" -- once you master this great technique, you'll be able to make a variety of curries using fish, shrimp, beef, lamb, goat, or vegetables.

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Chicken Curry

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Ingredients

For Garam Masala
- 1 cinnamon stick, broken into 1-inch pieces
- 2 whole cloves
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon whole allspice
For Paste
- 3 medium-size yellow onions, peeled and coarsely chopped (3 1/2 cups)
- 10 to 12 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 piece (4 ounces) fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
- 3 tablespoons sunflower or other neutral-tasting oil
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon black or brown mustard seeds
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
For Stew
- 1 quart Basic Chicken Stock
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 6 fresh curry leaves (optional)
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 3 small dried red chiles, finely ground
- Coarse salt
- 10 chicken thighs (about 3 1/2 pounds), cut in half through the bone (or left whole)
- 2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro, plus sprigs for garnish
For Serving (Optional)
- Cooked Basmati Rice
- Plain yogurt
- Lime wedges

Directions

Make garam masala: Gently toast the spices in a dry saute pan over medium heat until they are fragrant. Let cool slightly, then grind spice to a fine powder in a spice grinder or clean coffee grinder. You should have about 1/4 cup.
Prepare paste: Puree the onions, garlic, and ginger in a blender until smooth. Set a Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium heat. When it is hot, add the oil, cumin seeds, and mustard seeds and stir constantly with a wooden spoon until mixture is fragrant and starts to turn golden brown, and mustard seeds begin to pop, 30 to 60 seconds. Stir in onion paste and cook until caramelized, about 45 minutes. During this time, you'll need to stir only occasionally in the beginning, but as the moisture evaporates you'll need to stir more and more frequently and, at the end, fairly constantly to keep it from turning too dark. Once the paste is ready, stir in the garam masala and tomato paste and continue cooking and stirring for another 5 minutes.
Pour in the stock and deglaze pot, stirring vigorously to incorporate the paste mixture. Add turmeric, curry leaves, bay leaves, and ground chiles, and season with salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the stock has reduced slightly (and the flavors have melded), about 45 minutes. Add the chicken and potatoes. Submerging them in the liquid as much as possible. Simmer until the chicken is tender (but not falling off the bone) and cooked through (prick the meat to make sure the juices run clear) and the potatoes are tender (they should still hold their shape but offer little resistance when pricked with a sharp knife). This will take about 30 minutes more.
Serve: Add the chopped cilantro and stir to combine. Garnish stew with cilantro sprigs, and serve with rice, yogurt, and lime wedges as desired.

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The Martha Stewart Show

Curry 2, ChikaLicious

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