Name: Chicken Curry with Spinach and Fenugreek
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Cuisine: IndianAsia
Ingredients: 1/4 cup vegetable oil (or canola oil); 1 medium onion , sliced thin; 4 large cloves garlic , pureed; 1 1/2 inch piece fresh ginger , peeled and pureed; 6 chicken thighs , skinned; 2 teaspoons ground cumin; 2 teaspoons ground coriander; 1 teaspoon ground turmeric; 1/2 teaspoon fenugreek; 1/2 teaspoon table salt plus more to taste; 3 plum tomatoes , chopped, plus 1 tablespoon juice, or 2/3 cup crushed tomatoes; 2 bunches spinach (1 1/2 pounds), stemmed, thoroughly washed, and chopped coarse; 1 jalapeño chile , stemmed and cut in half through the stem end; 4 medium boiling potatoes , peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes (about 2 cups); 2 - 4 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Chicken Curry with Spinach and Fenugreek

By America's Test Kitchen

Published on August 22, 2007

Time

1½ hours

Yield

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

¼ cup vegetable oil (or canola oil)1 medium onion, sliced thin4 large cloves garlic, pureed1 ½ inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and pureed6 chicken thighs, skinned2 teaspoons ground cumin 2 teaspoons ground coriander 1 teaspoon ground turmeric ½ teaspoon fenugreek ½ teaspoon table salt plus more to taste3 plum tomatoes, chopped, plus 1 tablespoon juice, or ⅔ cup crushed tomatoes2 bunches spinach (1 ½ pounds), stemmed, thoroughly washed, and chopped coarse1 jalapeño chile, stemmed and cut in half through the stem end4 medium boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into ¾-inch cubes (about 2 cups)2 - 4 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Before You Begin

Gather and prepare all your ingredients before you begin. Garlic and ginger may be pureed by hand or in a minichop food processor. If using a minichopper, process the garlic and ginger with 1 to 2 tablespoons of water until pureed. You may substitute a scant 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper for the jalapeño, adding it to the skillet with the other ground dried spices. Feel free to increase the wet (garlic, ginger, jalapeño, and onion) or dry spice quantities. Serve the curry with basmati rice.

Instructions

Heat oil in large deep skillet or soup kettle, preferably nonstick, over medium-high heat until hot, but not smoking. Add onion to skillet; sauté until softened, 3 to 4 minutes.

Stir in garlic, ginger, chicken, ground spices, fenugreek, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and tomatoes; cook, stirring almost constantly, until liquid evaporates, oil separates and turns orange, and spices begin to fry, 5 to 7 minutes, depending on skillet or kettle size. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until spices smell cooked, about 30 seconds longer.

Stir in spinach. Add 2 cups water and jalapeño and season with salt; bring to simmer. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until meat is tender, 20 to 30 minutes.

Add potatoes; cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in cilantro and simmer 3 minutes longer. Remove chicken and keep warm. Continue to cook sauce over high heat until thickened, about 10 minutes. (the spinach becomes the sauce.)