Slow Cooker Chicken Madras Curry (Chef Jack Ovens)

Source video by Chef Jack Ovens on YouTube. This recipe was adapted with strict source-fidelity rules.

Chef Jack Ovens' chicken Madras adapted from a 35-minute hob simmer into a slow cooker recipe. Boneless skinless thigh is browned hard in ghee, then cumin seeds and bay leaves toast in the same pan with chopped coriander stalks. Two onions soften with garlic and ginger paste, the Madras spice deck (ground cumin, coriander, garam masala, turmeric, Kashmiri chilli, optional curry leaves) blooms in for a minute, then two tins of diced tomatoes and a tin of coconut milk go in. Everything tips into the slow cooker for 4 hours on Low. Serve with fragrant basmati rice (cinnamon, cardamom, bay, star anise) and warm naan.

Ingredients

• 1.2 kgboneless skinless chicken thigh, diced into even bite-size chunks
• 42 gghee or sunflower oil
• salt and cracked black pepper, generous; cook uses about 20 cracks of pepper

• 2brown and red onions, mixed, thinly sliced
• 4garlic cloves, microplaned to a paste with the ginger
• 35 gfresh ginger, peeled and microplaned with the garlic
• 10 gcoriander root or stems, roughly chopped

• 3 gwhole cumin seeds
• 3bay leaves, dried or fresh

• 1.5 tspground cumin
• 1 tspground coriander
• 2.5 tspgaram masala
• 0.75 tspground turmeric
• 0.5 tspKashmiri chilli powder
• fresh curry leaves

• 800 gtinned diced tomatoes, rinse the tins with a little water and add that too
• 400 mlcoconut milk

• 200 gbasmati rice, washed; cooked on the hob with 500 ml water, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 bay leaf, 3 cardamom pods, 1 star anise and a pinch of salt
• naan or roti, warmed
• fresh coriander leaves, to garnish

Method

1. Heat the ghee in a large heavy pan over high heat. Season the diced chicken thigh with salt and cracked black pepper.

   ~2 min

2. Add the chicken to the pan in a single layer (do it in batches if needed). Let it sit undisturbed for a couple of minutes, then stir and brown for a total of 6 to 7 minutes. It won't be cooked through yet. Lift onto a plate.

   ~7 min

3. Turn the heat down to medium. Add the cumin seeds, bay leaves and chopped coriander stems to the same pan and toast for 1 to 1.5 minutes until fragrant and the seeds pop.

   ~2 min

4. Add the sliced onions, garlic-ginger paste, salt and another 10 cracks of pepper. Sauté for 10 to 12 minutes until the onions are soft and lightly coloured.

   ~12 min

5. Add the ground cumin, coriander, garam masala, turmeric, Kashmiri chilli and curry leaves (if using). Toast for a minute, stirring.

   ~1 min

6. Tip the spiced base into the slow cooker. Add the tinned tomatoes (rinse the tins with a little water and add that), coconut milk, and the browned chicken with any resting juices. Stir.

   ~3 min

7. Lid on. Cook on Low for 4 hours (or High 2.5 hours).

   ~240 min

8. About 20 minutes before serving, cook the basmati rice on the hob: combine washed rice, 500 ml cold water, the whole spices and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, cover, simmer low for 12 minutes, then rest covered off-heat for 4 minutes. Discard the spices and fluff.

   ~16 min

9. Taste the curry and adjust salt. Fish out the bay leaves. If the gravy is too thick, loosen with a splash of hot water.

   ~1 min

10. Serve over the fragrant rice with warm naan and fresh coriander leaves scattered on top.

    ~2 min

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