Coconut Chicken Curry, made with SN1

The taste of southern India, easily, at home. The scent of the spices, the sharpness of the tomato and the sweetness of the coconut milk, in fine balance 🍛.

SPICE CURRY SPICE PACK [Spice Curry Spice Pack] Symphony No.1 (SN1) — a coconut chicken curry.

It is a very simple, easy recipe, but the coconut milk and the spices make it exceptional. Once you have made the basic chicken curry, try this coconut chicken curry next 🥥

If this is your first spice curry, reading the articles below before you start will give you a better result.

When your spice curry turns out watery Thinking about the chicken skin in chicken curry Are the whole spices in the starter spices meant to be eaten? Which spice do you add when you want more heat?

Ingredients (serves 4)

• SN1 / starter spices (the whole-spice sachet): 1 sachet
• SN1 / powder spices (the ground-spice sachet): 1 sachet
• Tinned tomatoes: 1 tin (400g)
• Onion: 1
• Garlic (grated): 2 tsp (1–2 cloves)
• Ginger (grated): 1 tbsp
• Chicken thigh: 200g (roughly 1 thigh fillet)
• Coconut milk: 200ml
• Milk: 100ml
• Nam pla (Thai fish sauce): 1 tbsp (soy sauce also works)
• Sugar: 2 tsp
• Salt: 1 tsp
• Oil: 3 tbsp (use whichever oil you like)
  
  

Preparation

• Grate the garlic, then the ginger, in that order
  
  
• Cut the onion (in this recipe: halve it, halve it again, then slice)
  
  
  
  
  
• Cut the chicken thigh into bite-sized pieces (working a little nam pla, not in the list above, into it adds savoury depth). If you would rather not have the skin, remove it.
  
  
  
  
• Splitting the cardamom in the starter spices (the whole-spice sachet) lengthways with scissors or a knife lifts the aroma
  
  

Method

1. Put the “oil: 3 tbsp” into a pan over a low heat, and once the oil is warm, add the starter spices (the whole-spice sachet).
   
   
   
   
2. When you hear the “mustard seeds (the small black ones)” start to crackle, add the grated garlic and ginger and fry for about 30 seconds, stirring them through the spices.
   
   
   
   
3. Add the onion, stir it thoroughly through the spices, then turn the heat to high and cook it properly until it is deep golden brown.
   
   
   
   

   How far you cook the onion changes the finished flavour enormously. When a curry comes out watery, or the tomato tastes too sharp, or the depth feels thin, the single biggest cause is moving on to the next step before the onion has turned deep golden brown. For this recipe, always cook the onion for 12–15 minutes, frying it properly until it is deep golden brown. The points to watch are Keep the heat at medium to high Spread the onion evenly across the pan and leave it, then stir; spread it evenly and leave it, then stir; and repeat When you stir and feel the onion catching on the base of the pan, add a splash of water, often (in our experience, about 2 tbsp of water at a time, roughly five times in all) That splash of water carries the savoury depth released by the cooking through the whole pan, and lets you reach deep golden onions without burning them. Letting it catch slightly and then adding water actually draws out more of that depth. It takes a little time and attention, but it is the step that decides the flavour, so give it the time it needs.

   
   
   
4. Once the onion is deep golden brown (below is after about 12 minutes of cooking), turn the heat to medium and add the chicken thigh.
   
   
   
   ↓Fry everything together as the chicken cooks through.
   
   
   
   
5. Once you are sure the chicken is fully cooked, add about 2/3 of the powder spices and stir them in, thinking of it as cooking the powder spices themselves.
   
   
   
   
   
6. Keeping the heat at medium, push the ingredients to one side, add the tinned tomatoes, crush the whole tomatoes down well, then stir everything together.
   
   
   
   
   
7. Add the coconut milk: 200ml, nam pla: 1 tbsp (or soy sauce), sugar: 2 tsp, salt: 1 tsp and milk: 100ml, and stir it in.
   
   
8. Bring it to the boil, then stir in the remaining powder spices and simmer for about 3 minutes. Taste it at the end and adjust the salt.
   
   

And that is it.

Coriander alongside is excellent. A squeeze of lemon is worth trying too. Serve it with achar or whatever else you like 🍛

Buy the spice packs here

Inspice spice curry spice sets contain none of the usual sources of heat — chilli, cayenne pepper or chilli powder — so please add heat to your own taste.

Make this coconut chicken curry exactly as written first, then enjoy adapting it into your own household’s spice curry 👨‍🍳