RECIPE OF THE WEEK

Beat the chill with Diane Bibby's hearty curry

The antidote to the cold is a warming dish of butter chicken curry. Here's a browned butter recipe to keep you warm this weekend

02 August 2024 - 08:00
By hillary biller (compiled)
Easy peasy butter chicken curry.
Image: Dianne Bibby Easy peasy butter chicken curry.

Prominent Johannesburg foodie Dianne Bibby shares this delicious recipe from her latest cookbook Bibby’s More Good Food.

EASY BUTTER CHICKEN CURRY WITH BROWNED BUTTER

A breeze to put together once you have your ready-made curry paste. Spicy, but not overly hot. Drizzle over the hot, browned butter at the end and let it trickle into the sauce.

Serves 4

700g skinless chicken fillets, cut into large cubes

160ml butter chicken curry paste,  ready made makes this dish super easy

Fine salt and freshly ground black pepper

Vegetable oil, for cooking

1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes

180ml chicken stock (250ml for a thinner sauce)

5ml (1 tsp) brown sugar

1 cinnamon stick

250ml (1 cup) Greek or double-cream yoghurt

40g butter, optional

Quick herb yoghurt:

125ml (1/2 cup) Greek yoghurt

Zest of 1 lemon

15ml (1 tbsp) lemon juice

Pinch of fine salt

Handful of finely chopped fresh mint, coriander and flat leaf parsley

1. Place the chicken and 80ml curry paste in a non-metallic bowl. Season lightly with salt and black pepper and toss to coat. Cover and set aside to marinate for 30 minutes or overnight, if time allows.

2. Heat 15ml oil in a wide-based pan until hot. Cook the chicken for several minutes, more to sear than brown. Scrape in the remaining paste and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, stock, sugar and cinnamon stick. Cover partially and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir through the yoghurt and cook for a further 10 minutes.

3. For the browned butter, heat the butter in a small saucepan over a medium heat. Once the butter is melted, turn the heat up and let it splutter away until nutty and golden in colour.

4. Pour the hot, browned butter over the curry just before serving and swirl through. Offer with warm naan bread, steamed basmati rice and a quick herb yoghurt. For the yoghurt combine all the ingredients and serve with the curry.