Curry, Kari

I love curries probably because I am of West African descent and I grew up eating spice. Curry is a word which is used to describe most Indian food but there are so many different curries of which most people are unaware. I don't always like Indian curries. I am, however, quite fond of the curries from South East Asia.

Before I met my friend Mikki, a Malaysian Chinese, I tried to avoid curries because I hadn't been introduced to the Malaysian curry and the Rendang. I also had never had a good Thai curry either. Then it was explained to me that it is not possible to not like curry. Why? Because curry is just a mixture of different spices which means that you can invent your own. You can prepare your curry just with the spices you like. One of the reasons why I don't like Indian curries is because of the turmeric and food colourings that they sometimes add to the sauces. Now, I have learnt to make a curry to my taste. I use very little turmeric and lot more of the other things I love like lime leaves and coriander.

Yesterday I prepared one of my favourite mixtures. It is perhaps my own version of an Indonesian curry. I use coriander (seeds and leaves), cumin, allspice berries and cinnamon. I also add peanut butter and coconut milk. It is one of the easiest and tastiest dishes I prepare. The recipe is at the bottom of this post.

Here is my Simply African Curry recipe
You will need
6-8 tablespoons vegetable oil
4-5 allspice berries, crushed
1 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed
3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
1 large onion, peeled and finely sliced
1-2 tablespoon crushed dried chillies
1 red pepper, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 medium courgettes, diced
1 chicken stock cube
1 tablespoon peanut butter
400ml coconut milk
400ml water
3-5 whole lime leaves
500g chicken or turkey breast, cut into 1½ cubes
salt to taste
a handful of coriander leaves, roughly chopped

What to do
1. Heat the oil in a pan.
2. Fry the allspice and coriander for about 30 secs.
3. Add the potatoes, onions and chillies and fry for 4-5 minutes, stirring constantly.
4. Add the vegetables, stock cube, peanut butter, coconut milk, water and lime leaves.
5. Stir well and put the lid on the pot. Let it simmer on medium heat for about 20 minutes.
6. Add the meat, put the lid back on and simmer for a further 10 minutes.
7. Add the coriander, check the taste and add some salt if needed.
8. Let it continue simmering at low heat for a further 5-10 minutes.
9. Serve with boiled white basmati or Thai fragrant rice