Chicken Choko Chukka Curry
Ingredients
Chicken pieces with or without bone (better with bone)Olive oil
Onion
Ginger
Garlic
Chilli
Kashmiri chilli (for colour)
Turmeric powder
Cumin powder
Coriander powder
Black pepper crushed
Cardamom pods
Cinnamon sticks
Cloves
Choko (available from your local supermarket or specialty store)
Tomato
Fresh coriander.
What’s the story behind this recipe?
One particular year, I had a healthy, big harvest of choko from my garden. It’s a pear-shaped vine plant that produces a light green fruit that’s mildly sweet with a firm texture. But even after distributing it amongst friends, I still had a lot of choko leftover, so I experimented and created a curry with choko and it was a hit!
What are your cooking secrets?
The secret to cooking well is with love and good health for my family. It’s also important to challenge yourself, have culinary ideas and create new recipes. For me, I’ve had a lot of years cooking every day for a large family and from my heart. It’s also the reason why I know the science of cooking a good curry.
Method:
• On a low flame add oil, onions, stir and then add ginger and garlic and fry well together
• When these ingredients start to soften, add cardamoms, cloves, whole cinnamon sticks and stir (open cardamom pods before chucking into pot)
• Add chicken and mix well
• Add all the other ingredients and stir (cumin, turmeric, chilli, black pepper, coriander, Kashmiri chilli and salt)
• Add choko and salt to taste and mix well with other ingredients
• Add fresh tomatoes, cover with lid and cook for 10 mins or until chicken and choko are cooked
• Garnish with freshly chopped coriander and serve with rice or roti (bread)
