BIR Chicken Chilli Masala Curry Recipe
A treat for those who love the flavour of chilli. This chilli masala curry can be made with any main ingredient (it’s popular with chicken). Flavour comes first with this dish, and you can make it as hot as you like. On a scale of 1 to 10, how hot do you like your curries?
As with most of my curry recipes, about 175-200g of the main ingredient (for example pre-cooked Chicken) should be ample to feed 1-2 people. You can add more to bulk it out.
I have a great liking for Daddy Cool’s Chilli Sauces. I used their Red Jalapeno Sriracha sauce in the accompanying YouTube video for this Chicken Chilli Masala curry and it went very nicely (see below).
Books by Richard Sayce
INGREDIENTS
- 4 TBSP (60ml) Oil
- 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
- 75g Onion, finely chopped (about half a medium sized onion)
- 2 tsp Ginger/Garlic Paste
- 2 tsp Mix Powder
- 1 tsp Kasuri Methi
- 2 tsp Chilli Powder (or to your taste)
- ½ tsp Tandoori Masala
- The Chilli Masala Sauce (see below)
- 1 TBSP Coriander Stalks (optional)
- 2-3 Green Chillies, finely chopped (adjust to your taste)
- 330ml+ Base Gravy
- 175-200g Chicken (Raw or Pre-cooked), or any main ingredient of your choice
- Salt to taste
- 2 Segments of Fresh Tomato
- 1 TBSP Fresh Coriander, finely chopped
- 3-4 TBSP Single Cream (optional)
SPACEHOLDER
The Chilli Masala Sauce
- 1-2 TBSP Sriracha Chilli Sauce or a chilli-based sauce of your choice. Adjust the amount to your heat preference
- 4 TBSP Tomato Paste
- 1 tsp Chilli or Lime Pickle (optional)
- 1 tsp Mango Chutney (optional)
- 1 tsp Lemon or Lime Juice, or Vinegar
- A tiny pinch of Red or Orange Food Colouring powder
METHOD
- Prepare the chilli masala sauce by mixing the ingredients specified above. The pickle and mango chutney are optional but add a good flavour.
- Heat a frying pan to medium high heat and add the oil.
- Allow to heat up and add the cumin seeds.
- Leave for 20 seconds then add the onion, and fry for a few minutes, stirring from time to time, until the onion starts to brown on the edges.
- Then add the ginger/garlic paste and continue to cook for a further 45-60 secs.
- Add the mix powder, tandoori masala, kasuri methi, chilli powder. Don’t add any salt at this point.
- Stir constantly for 20-30 seconds, adding a splash of base gravy (a couple of tablespoons’ worth) to help cook the spices without burning them.
- Add the Chilli Masala Sauce, green chillies, the chicken (or other main ingredient), and the coriander stalks (if using). Coat the meat well with the sauce.
- Stir then allow to cook for a short while until you see the oil float to the surface, and small, dry craters start appearing around the edges of the pan.
- Then add 75ml of base gravy and stir and scrape everything together. Leave to fry for a while until the sauce reduces a bit more.
- Add a second 75ml of base gravy, stir and scrape together, and again leave to cook as in the previous stage.
- Then add 150ml of base gravy, along with the lemon juice. Stir and scrape once when first added.
- Leave to cook on high heat for 4-5 minutes with minimal interference. Allow the sauce to stick and caramelise on the sides and surface of the pan. Stir and scrape the curry together only to prevent burning.
- Taste, and add salt and/or extra chilli sauce (if desired).
- Add the coriander and the tomato segments. You can add extra base gravy at this point, to adjust the consistency to your liking (I usually add at least another 50ml).
- Some single cream is a worthy supplement to enrich the chilli masala further. Stir in 3-4 TBSP (on a low heat) for extra indulgence if you like.
- Stir and cook for a further 30 seconds.
- If you added raw chicken, make sure it’s fully cooked before serving. Cut open a large piece – if there’s any pinkness cook until it’s gone.
- Serve garnished with finely chopped fresh coriander and a sprinkling of chopped fresh red or green chillies.
NOTES
- All spoon measurements are level (1 tsp = 5ml, 1 TBSP = 15ml).
- As with any of the Misty Ricardo restaurant style curries, you can add extra base gravy near the end of cooking to get your desired consistency.
- Salt is not added with the powdered spices near the beginning of cooking because the added chilli sauce and pickle are usually salty enough. Adjust to taste as per recipe.
- Check out Daddy Cool’s Chilli Sauce‘s!
- Enjoy this Chicken Chilli Masala curry recipe, and please visit the Misty Ricardo’s Curry Kitchen YouTube Channel for lots of Indian recipes.