Tender chicken in a creamy curry sauce with coconut milk, tomato, ginger, and cumin, served over white rice to catch every spoonful. The aromatics are cooked until sweet and the spices are briefly bloomed in oil before the liquid goes in. Warm, fragrant, and simple enough to become an everyday favorite.
Turn what you find into an experience you can actually bring to your kitchen.
Cut the chicken thigh into large pieces about 4 cm wide. Finely chop the onion, garlic, and ginger, dice the tomato, and chop the cilantro for finishing. Lightly season the chicken with one quarter of the salt and keep it chilled while you start the rice.
Rinse the white rice in a strainer until the water runs considerably clearer. Place it in a medium pot with about three quarters of the water and one quarter of the salt. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce to very low heat, and cook for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and rest covered for 5 minutes before fluffing.
While the rice cooks, heat the vegetable oil in another medium pot. Cook the onion for 6 to 7 minutes, until soft, translucent, and just beginning to color. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the curry powder and cumin for 30 to 45 seconds, just until intensely fragrant; do not allow the spices to burn.
Add the tomato and cook for 4 minutes, until softened into a thick base with the spices. Add the chicken and stir for 3 minutes, until every piece is thoroughly coated and the outside no longer looks raw.
Pour in the coconut milk, remaining water, and remaining salt. Stir, bring to a gentle simmer, and cook partially covered over medium-low heat for 15 to 18 minutes, stirring a couple of times, until the thickest chicken piece reaches 74°C and the sauce is creamy enough to coat the back of a spoon. If too thin, simmer uncovered for a few minutes; if too thick, loosen with a small splash of water.
Turn off the heat and stir in the lime juice and cilantro. Rest for 3 minutes so the sauce can settle. Serve the curry hot over the white rice; the chicken should remain juicy in a creamy, fragrant sauce thick enough to cling to the rice. And that's it—curry without twenty spice jars or a second mountain of potatoes competing with the rice.
