Mar 10, 2010

Cardamom Chicken Curry

Author Monica Bhide uses both green and black cardamom to flavor this curry.

Credit: Todd Coleman

1 1⁄2 cups plain yogurt, plus more for garnish
1 1⁄2 tsp. Kashmiri chile powder
1 tsp. ground turmeric
1 tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste
12 pods green cardamom, crushed
2 lbs. skinless bone-in chicken thighs and legs
1⁄4 cup canola oil
8 whole black peppercorns
3 pods black cardamom
1 2" stick cinnamon
2 small yellow onions, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 serrano chiles, stemmed, seeded, and minced
1 1" piece ginger, peeled and minced, plus
more julienned for garnish
3 tbsp. roughly chopped cilantro, for garnish
4 cups cooked rice, for serving

1. Combine yogurt, chile powder, turmeric, salt, and 8 pods green cardamom in a large bowl; add chicken, mix, and cover bowl with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight.

2. Heat oil in a 6-qt. pot over high heat. Add remaining green cardamom along with peppercorns, black cardamom, and cinnamon; cook until fragrant, 1–2 minutes. Add onions, garlic, chiles, and ginger; cook, stirring and adding a few tablespoons of water as needed, until onions are browned, 12–15 minutes. Add chicken and marinade; cook, flipping chicken occasionally, until most of liquid has evaporated, 20–30 minutes. Add 1⁄3 cup water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, stirring, until sauce has thickened, 6–8 minutes. Season with salt and garnish with ginger, cilantro, and yogurt; serve with rice.

SERVES 4

This article was first published in Saveur in Issue #128

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Ratings & Reviews (12)

by RalphD on 2010-03-10

I love Ms. Bhide's recipes and her cookbooks are a joy to read as well as thumb through. Her take on Indian cooking is modern and simple yet never compromises the ethnic integrity or culture of her native land. Nice to see Saveur acknowledge such a talented cookbook author.

by MDTERESA on 2010-03-10

I am looking at the photos of Monica Bhide's Cardamom Chicken Curry and finding that I want to physically dive into the photograph and indulge myself in that delicious recipe. I have all of Ms. Bhide's cookbooks and I have never made a recipe of hers that has been less than spectacular. So while I have not yet made this recipe, I am still giving it a 5 star rating because, I know (truly) that it will be fantastic. I cannot wait to make it for my family.

by Jgadfly on 2010-03-10

What could be used as a substitute for yogurt; for those, who have dairy alergies and or those who generally don't eat foods, that mix meat and dairy, together.

by susanoc on 2010-03-11

To Jgadfly - I've made a recipe similar to this, but instead of yogurt, it called for diced tomatoes. You could try that. (I am lactose-intolerant so I appreciate your asking this question. I found that I am able to digest yogurt however.)

by saccosumanno on 2010-03-21

I'm making this right now and it smells divine. Jgadfly-- try coconut milk instead of the yogurt. Thats what I'm doing and it looks great...

by qhharris on 2010-04-02

I've made this dish and it is wonderful. Even my 11-yr old daughter liked it. I love cardamom, so I was not afraid to throw in a few extra pods for good measure!

by twivian on 2010-04-12

Monica I love this recipe! Cardamom is something that I just recently started using. Great article on the spice itself too.

by Themomchef on 2010-06-30

Absolutely one of the best curry dishes I've ever eaten. Fantastic, robust flavor. Read my entire review at: http://themomchef.blogspot.com/2010/06/cardamom-chicken-curry-from-saveur.html

by CFRANCISCO47 on 2011-05-31

this is one of the finest curries I've ever made.

by zanne101 on 2011-07-11

You can buy goats milk yogurt at most health food stores, and Trader Joes etc. Most people who are lactose intolerant might be able to have goats milk instead of cows milk.
BTW, goats milk yogurt is delicious - I prefer it even though I can use cows milk yogurt.

by elel on 2012-05-03

Recipes should not use "or up to overnight" to let you know how long to marinate. That gives you virtually no useful information. Does that mean you have to make the marinade at 10 p.m. before you go to bed and cook the dish for breakfast? Or can you marinade in the morning and leave it overnight and cook it for dinner the next day?

Why not say something like "30 minutes or up to 15 hours?"

by RANIA on 2012-09-04

I don't see what the problem is, elel, it clearly says anywhere from 30 mins to overnight, so basically you get to choose how long. Just choose a time and try it instead of complaining and needing so much hand-holding.

Having said all that, I will say that I tried the recipe twice, from marinating 2 hours, to overnight (about 14 hours aprox). Both times were great. Obviously, the longer it marinates, the better it is.
I didn't have black cardamom, only green both times, and it was still pretty amazing. Served with some lovely basmati rice. This is one of the best curry recipes I've ever tried.
And also one of the best, clearly written ones too.

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