Country Captain or East India Chicken Curry
Today, the Country Captain is known the world over as an American dish, a Southern speciality. It was actually picked up by an officer of the British East India Company by a lascar and passed on to an American friend. Centuries later, the dish has taken on an American avatar with an Indian heart.
Ingredients
8 skinless chicken breasts, halved
½ cup flour
Salt and black pepper
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced into rings
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups tomatoes, seeded and chopped
2 tsp garam masala powder
½ tsp dried thyme
½ cup raisins
Method
Mix the flour with the salt and pepper. Roll the chicken pieces to coat them with the flour.
Heat the oil over medium heat on a large frying pan and fry the chicken pieces for five minutes till they are light brown Reserve the drippings. Remove the chicken and add the onion, bell pepper and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes till the onions turn transparent. Add the chopped tomatoes, garam masala powder, salt, pepper and thyme. Cover and cook for another 10 minutes and add the chicken and raisins. Cover again and cook for another 15 minutes till the chicken is tender.
On a bed of rice, arrange the
chicken pieces. Serve immediately.
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Caldinho de Piexe
Goan Portuguese Fish Curry
The Portuguese were great at renaming authentic Goan dishes, adding a dash of vinegar and passing it off as their own. Having said that, the Portuguese have contributed immensely to the food of the region.
Ingredients
500 gm pomfret (sliced into steaks)
150 gm grated coconut
½ tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp uncooked rice
6 cloves garlic, chopped
2 onions, (1 chopped, 1 finely sliced)
3 green chillies, (1 chopped, 2 slit)
¼ tsp sugar
1 tbsp vinegar
2 tbsp vegetable oil
Salt
Method
Rub the fish with 1 tsp of salt and keep aside for 15 minutes. In a food processor, add the grated coconut, ½ cup warm water, turmeric, cumin seeds, coriander powder, rice, garlic, chopped onion and the chopped green chilli. Blend till the mixture is thick and smooth. Keep half of the mixture aside. In the remaining mixture, add another ½ cup of warm water to get a thin mixture.
Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pan and fry the sliced onions over medium heat for a couple of minutes till soft. Add the thin coconut milk mixture, salt and sugar and cook for 10 minutes. Add the fish and the slit green chillies and cook for 5 minutes. Do not stir or the fish might break.
Add the vinegar and the thick coconut milk mixture and cook for another two minutes. Ensure that the curry does not boil else the coconut milk might curdle.
Serve hot with rice.