Cape Malay Chicken Curry

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp oil
• 1 medium onion (finely chopped)
• 2 tbsp ginger (finely chopped)
• 1 tsp chili flakes (or fresh hot peppers to taste)
• 1 1/2 tsp coriander seeds
• 2 tsp fennel (ground, or 4 tsp whole fennel seeds)
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1/2-1 tsp black pepper (coarsely ground)
• 15 cardamom pods (whole pods)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp garam masala
• 14 oz can crushed tomatoes (or diced tomatoes)
• 1 1/2 lb chicken pieces
• 2 tsp garlic (finely chopped)
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 -3 tsp salt

Instructions

1. 1

   Put the 7 spices -- from the coriander seeds down to the garam masala -- in a mortar and pestle. Pound them together so the cardamom pods burst and the whole thing becomes a mess of spices. Discard the skin of cardamom pods. Continue to pound the spices until they become like a powder.

2. 2

   Heat the oil in a pot, add the onion and ginger over fairly high heat, and stir occasionally for a few minutes. Add the chili flakes and spices and stir for 2 minutes. You might need to add more oil (Spices slurp up oil as they fry)

3. 3

   Add the can of crushed tomatoes and stir. Cook until everything bubbles up together.

4. 4

   Add the chicken pieces, and stir to coat well, keeping heat high until everything is bubbling away. Turn the heat down, put on a lid, and simmer for about 20 minutes.

5. 5

   Add the garlic, sugar, lemon juice and salt to the curry. Cover with lid but leave a small opening for a steam to escape; simmer for 15 minutes or longer. Taste the sauce, and adjust seasoning according to your taste.

6. 6

   Near the end of cooking, skim off extra oil/fat with a spoon, as it collects in corners of the pot, if needed. Serve the curry warm with rice.