serves
4
prep
20 minutes
cook
50 minutes
difficulty
Easy
serves
4
people
preparation
20
minutes
cooking
50
minutes
difficulty
Easy
level
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp oil or ghee
- salt, to season
- 6 chicken thigh fillets, cut into 3 cm pieces
- 1 brown onion, finely chopped
- ¼ cup curry leaves
- 1 cinnamon quill
- 1 tbsp finely chopped ginger
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp masala (see Note)
- 400 g can diced tomatoes
- 700 g potatoes, cut into 3 cm chunks
- 2 tsp caster sugar
For the roti (makes 8)
- 400 g plain flour, plus extra to dust
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup (250 ml) water (at room temperature)
- 100 g very soft unsalted butter, plus extra to fry
To serve
- thick yoghurt, sliced baby cucumbers and fresh coriander leaves
Resting time: 20 minutes
Instructions
1. To make the roti, combine the flour, salt and water in a large bowl and knead for 6-8 minutes until smooth, or use a stand mixer with the dough hook fitted. Divide into 8 balls on a lightly oiled surface. Cover in lightly oiled baking paper and rest for 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil or ghee in a large frying pan or large saucepan over medium-high heat. Season the chicken, then brown in batches. Remove the chicken from the pan and add a little more oil or ghee to the pan and reduce the heat to medium.
3. Add the onion, curry leaves and cinnamon quill, season with salt and cook for 3-4 minutes until softened. Add the ginger and garlic and cook for a further 1 minute until fragrant. Stir through the masala and cook for a further minute. Add the diced tomatoes, then top up the empty can with water and add to the pan with the potatoes and sugar.
4. Return the chicken (with any resting juices) to the pan, stir to combine and season with salt and pepper. Cover the pan, reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 25 minutes, until the potatoes are very tender and chicken is cooked through. Season to taste.
5. Meanwhile, roll each roti as thin as possible, oiling to stretch the dough without sticking. Brush over some of the very soft butter to create a thin layer of butter. Roll the dough and bring into a ball then roll out again into a roti, no larger than the size of your frypan. Repeat with the remaining balls. To make sure they don’t stick together you can cook them straight away or you can separate each roti in between oiled baking paper.
6. Heat some butter in a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook the roti in batches until blistered on both sides and cooked through.
7. Serve the Cape Malay chicken curry with the roti, yoghurt, baby cucumbers and some coriander.
Notes
- Roti tip: for extra flavour, when you brush over the butter onto the roti, sprinkle over a little of your masala spice mixture or even combine the butter with some crushed garlic.
- Masala alternative: if not making from scratch (recipe below); use 1 tbsp curry powder and 1 tbsp garam masala.
- Masala: Makes ¾ cup
2 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp each cumin seeds, fennel seeds, fenugreek, black peppercorns, mustard seeds
10-12 fresh curry leaves
2 tsp ground cardamom (or whole seeds)
2 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp ground turmeric
2 tsp ground chilli
1 tsp ground cloves
Place all whole spices and curry leaves in a frypan and roast gently until they start to dance around the pan and become fragrant, taking care not to scorch the spices. Place into a spice grinder (or mortar & pestle) with the ground spices and blitz until finely ground. Keep in an airtight container.
Photography by Jiwon Kim.
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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.
