Week 12: Vij's Family Chicken Curry

As you know, this recipe has a little bit of a story to it. The pick was inspired by the reputation of Vancouver's own Vij's (Indian) Restaurant for impeccable albeit pricey Indian cuisine. While we have never managed to get a table (i.e. unwilling to wait the 2 1/2 projected waiting time), we maintain hope of making it some lucky day in the future. Perhaps the second best thing is pulling recipes from Vij Vikram's cookbook: Vij's Elegant and Inspired Indian Cuisine, which is exactly what I did for this week's dish. I coolly copied down the long list of ingredients under the watchful eyes of Chapter's employees, and as the pressure mounted, scribbled down the preparation instructions in chicken scratched symbols and abbreviations. Phew! So here it is. It had better be good.

Ingredients (6 servings):

1/2 cup canola oil
2 cups onions, finely chopped
3 inch cinnamon stick
3 Tbsp chopped garlic
2 Tbsp grated ginger
2 cups tomatoes, chopped
1 Tbsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp ground coriander
1 Tbsp garam masala
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
3 lbs. chicken thighs (bone-in): *thigh (dark) meat was recommended because it doesn't dry out as easily as white breast meat
1 cup sour cream
2 cups water
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Preparation:

Heat oil in a large saucepan on medium heat for 1 minute. Add onions and cinnamon stick and sautee for 5-8 minutes, or until onions are golden in colour. Add garlic and sautee for 4 minutes. Add the next 9 ingredients -- ginger, chopped tomatoes, salt, pepper, turmeric, cumin, coriander, garam masala, and cayenne pepper --and simmer this "masala" for 5 minutes. Remove the skin from the chicken thighs, wash, and then add to the masala mix. Cook for 10 minutes or until the chicken looks cooked on the outside. Add the sour cream and water, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring 2-3 times until chicken is cooked through. Remove the cinnamon stick. Cook chicken for at least another 30 minutes on med-low. Remove chicken from masala, and remove chicken meat from the bone. Add chicken pieces back to curry, and bring to a boil. Add cilantro, remove from heat, and serve. Served best with basmati rice or plain naan.