Coconut curry sauce

Coconut curry sauce is spicy, earthy, warm and comforting. It is gloriously golden and super simple to make, sure to please even non-curry enthusiasts, you’ll love it.

Curries are Indian by origin but Nigerians being great travellers, usually come home with the knowledge of lots of different cuisines which are in turn either incorporated or adapted into the Nigerian cuisine. Also being that both cultures love spicy food, curries were easy to find their way into our way of life. Though not as commonly served as the Nigerian vegetable sauce, curry sauce is still special in its own right. Try pleasing your guests during the Christmas period with this curry.

This is a versatile coconut curry sauce, it can be used for meat, vegetable or both. Typically, curry sauce is made with a blend of spices and to get a good blend for me, is a juggling act. The way around that is to use a good tasting curry powder. In Nigeria, curry powder is used to make curry. The flavour of the particular blend of curry powder impacts greatly on the final taste of the curry sauce, so use a blend you are used to and like.

For the coconut, you can use fresh coconut milk from the coconut fruit, canned coconut milk or reconstituted coconut milk from coconut powder.  The potato and coconut milk act as thickeners, in the absence of which you can thicken with cornflour or wheat flour. Also, coconut milk if cooked over very high heat is prone to separation, so if this happens, just mix in a little corn flour paste to give it a smooth finish.

Add fresh coriander at the end, I forgot to add some to mine in the excitement of the day.

To make coconut curry sauce

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 medium onions
salt
1 tablespoon garlic/ginger powder*
4 medium tomatoes
2 pieces green chili (optional)
2 tablespoons curry powder
1 teaspoon chilli powder
2 seasoning cubes
500g chicken
2 seasoning cubes
2 medium potatoes
1/4 cup fresh peas
1 small green bell pepper
1 small red bell pepper
2 boiled eggs
Little cornflour**

Cut chicken into bit sized chunks, set aside. Very finely chop onions and cube tomatoes into small bits.

Chop green chilli, deseed and cut green and red bell peppers into long strips.

Peel and cut potatoes into cubes, also peel boiled eggs.

If using powdered garlic/ginger mix, add a teaspoon of water and mix well, if using fresh, grind both into a paste.

Measure out curry powder, chilli powder, coconut milk and peas, set aside.

In a deep frying pan or sauce pan, put vegetable oil and set over medium heat.

When hot, add onions, sprinkle in some salt and reduce the heat to medium-low.

Gently fry onions, stirring, till it turns golden, this will take some time so be patient.

Add garlic/ginger paste, cook for about 30 seconds then add curry powder and chilli powder mix and fry briefly.

Add tomatoes and green chilli, cook over low heat for 5 minutes.

Then, add chicken and seasoning cubes, stir and cover.

Continue cooking on low heat until chicken has rendered its liquid, then add some water, potatoes and peas.

Cover and continue cooking until chicken is tender and potato very soft.

Add coconut milk, green and red bell peppers and boiled eggs.

Cover and cook for 2 minutes.

Take off the heat and stir in your chopped coriander, (I totally forgot to add mine, still tasted amazing though).

Notes

• *The garlic-ginger mix used here is sold in small sachets in the open market if you can’t find it use fresh garlic and fresh ginger.
• **Coconut milk if cooked over very high heat is prone to separation, so just mix in a little corn flour paste to give it a smooth finish if separation occurs.
• Onions and tomato need to almost melt into the curry so must be very finely chopped.
• Some people add tomato puree/paste, this removes from the brightness and vibrancy of the curry resulting in a dull curry, although it gives it more body.
• Powdered spices are prone to burning, which will result in a bitter, unpalatable curry sauce, so you can add tomatoes at the same time with curry powder which adds some liquid in the pan.
• If using frozen or canned peas, add at the end with the bell peppers.

If you enjoyed my Coconut curry sauce, you will also enjoy my Simple curry sauce using curry powder, Jamaican goat curry, Chicken turmeric sauce and Easy Nigerian vegetable sauce.

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