This particular January in Michigan has been quite brutal. Subzero temperatures have become a daily occurrence, making chafed and red faces practically a fashion statement. It seems that no matter how many layers of clothing I wear, I am always cold. On these cold days, everyone needs comfort food, something that’s warm and filling, and makes us happier by simply eating it.
While I don’t have a single go-to comfort food, curry, particularly ka’ree made with my grandfather’s blend of spices, ranks high on my list. Traditionally, my family makes curry with chunks of meat and potatoes that are boiled in a tomato sauce. For this Chicken Curry with Roasted Cauliflower, which can be made on the stove, in a pressure or slow cooker, I decided to use chicken. Slow cooking times or high pressure means that the chicken is literally falling off the bone.
You can dump all the ingredients into a pressure or slow cooker, but I prefer to take the extra time to sautée the onions, sear the chicken, and brown the tomato sauce. These extra steps make the Chicken Curry with Roasted Cauliflower taste much better. Not a fan of cauliflower? Just leave it out! Or add another one of your favorite vegetables.
Note: This post was originally published in January, 2014. I updated the pictures and recipe in February 2019.
Chicken Curry with Roasted Cauliflower
Ingredients
- 6 oz tomato paste 1 can
- 1.5 cups water more as needed
- 1 tbsp vinegar
- 1/4 cup chopped onion
- 1.5 lb chicken thighs
- 1.5 cups diced potatoes
- 3 tbsp curry powder
- 1 tsp dried lime
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- 1 cauliflower optional
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 400 F. Chop the cauliflower into small florets. Toss with olive oil and salt. Roast cauliflower until tender, about 45 minutes to an hour.
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Trim excess skin and fat from the chicken thighs. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add them to a large pot. Sear the chicken thighs on high heat for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until lightly browned. Remove thighs from the pot and set aside.
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In the same skillet where you cooked the chicken thighs, add a bit of oil. Heat for about 30 seconds to 1 minute before adding the diced onions. Cook until tender.
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When the onions are translucent, add tomato paste and reduce heat to low. Cook the tomato paste until browned. Once the sauce has browned, add the curry and lime powders. Brown for a few more minutes. Add vinegar. (The acidity from the vinegar will bring together the seared tomato paste and spices).
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Add a half cup of water to the paste and mix. Add another cup of water. Add the chicken, peeled and chopped potatoes, and cauliflower. (If you are using a pressure cooker or slow cooker, add the cauliflower at the end, or it will become too mushy).
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If using the stove, leave the curry on low to medium heat for about 30 minutes. In a slow cooker, the curry will take about 5 to 6 hours on low, or 3 to 4 hours on high. In a pressure cooker, the curry will take about 15 minutes.
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When the curry is done cooking, add more salt, pepper, lemon or curry to suit your taste. Serve with rice.
You have inspired me to make this this weekend my friend! This looks SO amazing!! Since I don’t have a crockpot, would I just simmer this in a pot on low heat for the same amount of time, or longer/shorter? Also, since I hate potatoes, is there anything you could recommend that I substitute for them that might also taste good with the flavor of the dish? (Not to change your entire recipe, haha.)
Hey Tawnee!! I’m glad that my pictures are enticing enough to inspire you =)
Traditional ka’ree is made on the stove, so it’s not problem if you don’t have a crockpot. You probably want to let it cook for about an hour on medium to high heat, or until the chicken is cooked. If you’re not a fan of potatoes, you can definitely replace them with something else. I would suggest cauliflower. It pairs really well with curries, in my opinion. I do have a cauliflower-curry recipe here. Let me know how it turns out!
I stared at a head of cauliflower this morning while I was at the farmer’s market before I got your message, and didn’t get it. Shoot! So instead things got crazy and I decided to do some Chaldean-Polish fusion! I ended up putting onions, turnips (sub for the potatoes), and kale in the curry (as well as the chicken and the rest of the ingredients). Then when it was finished, I mixed it with steamed rice, and rolled them up into freshly-steamed cabbage leaves Gołąbki – style! (Polish cabbage rolls). Let me tell you – it was amazing!! Thanks for the recipe, lady!
That sounds great Tawnee!! I hadn’t thought of turnips, but that’s definitely a great substitute for potatoes. I love that you turned the recipe into something of your own!
[…] vegetable served over white rice. I have a few different maraqa recipes on the blog, including chicken curry with roasted cauliflower (qarnabeet), tomato okra stew (bomya), and beef potato curry […]