Indian chicken curry with cauliflower rice

Serve this richly spiced, creamy chicken curry on a bed of paleo-friendly cauliflower ‘rice’. Finishing it off with a drizzle of coriander pesto adds another dimension of taste and texture.

Credit: Brett Stevens

• serves

  6

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  50 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 1 large onion, sliced
• 2 tbsp ghee
• 5 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 cm piece fresh ginger, crushed
• ½ tsp garam masala
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 kg chicken thigh fillets, cut into 3 cm cubes
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 cup coconut cream
• 1 cup plain yoghurt
• ½ lemon, juiced
• 1 long red chilli, sliced

Cauliflower rice

• 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
• 2 tbsp ghee

Coriander pesto

• 1 large bunch coriander
• 1 garlic clove
• ¼ cup cashews
• 2 tbsp parmesan, finely grated
• 1 lime, zested and juiced
• 3 tbsp coconut oil

Instructions

In a frying pan, sauté onion in ghee over medium heat. Stir in garlic, ginger, spices, bay leaves and salt to season. Continue stirring for 2 minutes. Add chicken pieces, tomato paste, coconut milk and yoghurt. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Stir in lemon juice and chilli. Simmer for 5 minutes and remove bay leaves.

To make cauliflower rice, place cauliflower florets in a food processor and process until finely chopped and resembles rice.

Heat ghee in a deep frying pan over medium heat. Add cauliflower and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes or until cauliflower is tender and light golden.

To make coriander pesto, place the coriander, garlic and cashews in a processor and pulse until just chopped.

Mix in the parmesan, lime zest and juice. Slowly add oil in a steady stream until well combined. Season to taste.

Spoon the cauliflower rice among serving plates. Top with curry and drizzle with coriander pesto just before serving.

Photography by Brett Stevens. Styling by Ainsley Johnstone. Art direction by Anne Marie Cummins.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.